Change of Pace
by Zane's Girl- Jo
Summary: Jo leaves on her walkabout and runs into an old family friend- who offers her a job working with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. How will the Eureka crew react to her leaving GD, and how will the NCIS team react to her joining the team? My first NCIS- Eureka crossover. Season 6 NCIS, Season 4 Eureka.
1. Chapter 1

**Change of Pace**

**R****if****iuto****: N****on**** Miriena**

**Summary: Jo leaves on her walkabout and runs into an old family friend- who offers her a job working with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. How will the Eureka crew react to her leaving GD, and how will the NCIS team react to her joining the team? My first NCIS- Eureka crossover. Season 6 NCIS, Season 4 Eureka. **

She left the only place she'd every really called home with Zane's kiss on her lips, Carter's arms and scent around her body, and Allison and Fargo's warm smiles in her mind. She left to find herself, to let the universe guide her.

* * *

"Hi Mama."

The silence of the cemetery filled her, wrapping its comfort around her, and she knelt before the stone, removing the wilted roses from the ground, replacing them with the fresh ones she'd bought at the florist. Once she was satisfied, she brushed her hands and sat back on her haunches. A moment passed, before she reached out and traced the beautifully carved _'C'_ of her mother's name. She'd died too young, and taken her husband, James, with her. He'd never gotten over Cassandra's death, and had relived it, day after day until the day he himself died. Buried in Arlington, a marker bearing his name had been placed beside his wife's. Quickly, Jo wiped at the tears running down her cheeks. "I miss you, Mama." She sniffled. "I miss you and Daddy so much."

The soft footsteps caused her to pause, and her head snapped around. An older man stood feet behind her, giving her privacy. A moment passed, before she slowly climbed to her feet. "Can I help you?" The man held up his hands.

"Just came to pay my respects, Josefina." Her dark eyes narrowed suspiciously, as she looked the man up and down, gauging the threat he posed. "I try to stop and visit Cassie once a week. I see James a bit more often, in Arlington."

"How do you-" She started, turning back to her mother's grave. She then turned back to him, taking in his appearance for the first time. The silvery-gray hair, the solemn blue eyes, the familiar stance. She'd grown up around military men and women her entire life- hell, her first real memory was a military funeral at Arlington; the gun salute, the casket, the American flag, removed from its place on the casket and being folded before being presented to the family of the fallen. Men and women in uniform, saluting their fallen colleague before approaching the family. Military was in her blood; all branches, Army to Navy to Marines to Air Force. She'd bounced around all four, before settling into the Army officially... and then had found herself retired to a small-town deputy- granted, the smartest, most dangerous small town in America- but still, it was one step away from a desk job, in Jo's eyes, as was being Head of Security. Dealing with those crazy eggheads every day wasn't the same as facing combat, as being around actual soldiers and naval commanders, generals, majors... she missed it.

"I... I'm sorry, do I know you?" The man shrugged.

"You probably don't remember me. It's been a long time since we've seen each other. Last time was James's funeral- a week before you turned eighteen." She thought a moment, trying to remember the day she'd blocked out of her mind for years.

"I fought in Desert Storm with your father, Josefina. Both Marine snipers, both came home about the same time. I... gave you that bracelet, after we'd returned. Picked it up for you in Maine, on our way back to Jersey." She glanced down at the green, blue and red sea-glass bracelet she always wore. Her fingers gently traced the stones, her mind going back to that day-

Only one man had ever given her this bracelet, knowing how much she loved the sea; besides her father-

"Uncle Jethro?" She whispered, meeting his gaze. He nodded, holding out a hand.

"It's good to see you again, Jo-" He stumbled back as Jo threw her arms around the older man. She'd grown up around Jethro and his family; he was her father's best friend, mentor, and she and her brothers had often called him 'Uncle Gibbs', which he really didn't mind. Her family had been there for him when Shannon and Kelly were killed, just as they'd been there for the Lupos after Cassie died. Taking a deep breath, Gibbs wrapped her in a hug, glancing towards Cassie's stone as they stood in the cemetery.

* * *

He'd searched for her, for years. He'd promised James on his deathbed that he'd look out for his baby girl, but after she'd come home from war, torn and nearly destroyed, she'd vanished off the face of the earth, and Gibbs had spent the last decade or so searching for her, intent on keeping his promise to the man who'd looked on him as family, who'd kept close watch on him after his family was killed... and now, after all these years, he'd finally found James's elusive baby girl.

They now sat in a small diner, catching up over burgers and fries and hot coffee as the sky broke overhead and drenched the world in cooling rain. Slyly, Jo reached over, snagging a fry from his plate, and he returned the gesture. She giggled, and Gibbs was suddenly reminded of the little girl with the pigtails and pink tutu, putting on shows for them in the living room. Yes, Jo was much older than Kelly- nine years older- but that hadn't stopped the dark-haired girl from taking Kelly under her wing when after the girl was born in eighty-eight. Jo had delighted in Kelly- being the only girl in her family, after Cassie died, and had taken it particularly hard after the murders.

"So, what have you been up to these last few years, Josie Fi?" Gibbs asked, leaning back in his chair. Jo raised and eyebrow, mid-sip. She set her cup down and cleard her throat.

"I'm... working security detail. Head of Security actually." She replied, crossing her arms on the counter.

"Presidental?" He asked, picking up his cup. She shook her head.

"No," She cleared her throat again and glanced at him. "Top... secret company in... Oregon. Nothing major, just... watching over a bunch of egghead scientists, mainly." She replied, her tone making it perfectly clear that she either wouldn't- or couldn't- discuss the details of her job. He nodded, not liking the feeling in his gut. "So, how about you?" He chuckled, noticing her quick change of subject, but refusing to call her on it. _Yes, you and Ziva will get along just fine._

"Working NCIS, as usual. Been looking for you the last few years." Her head snapped up.

"What? Why? Did you put a bolo out for me? Or... or..." Gibbs held up a hand, seeing the look of panic flash across her face.

"Nothing like that, Josefina. But, when your father died, he asked me to watch out for you- and for the last, few years, I haven't been able to because I couldn't find you. Now, I know you probably can't say because of your job," He added, seeing the look of panic on her face. "But I made a promise, to James, that I would watch over you, and I intend to keep it." Her eyes darkened, hiding something she refused to let him see, before she pushed her plate away with a soft,

"Well, you found me, and I'm fine. So, next time you visit Daddy, you can tell him that you kept your promise."

"That's not what he meant, Jo." She stopped, looking up at him. A moment passed, before she gave him a small smile and got up.

"Look, Uncle Jethro, it was good to see you again, but, I gotta get goin'. Thanks for lunch." And she rushed from the diner. Gibbs sighed, dropping his half of the check on the table and rushing after her.

"She's just as stubborn as her daddy. And you wondered why it took me nearly twenty years to find her, James..." He muttered, chasing after her. "Jo! Josefina!" She stopped, on the way to her car, and taking a deep breath, turned to him. He gestured at her, and after a moment, she followed, joining him at his car. "When your father asked me to look out for you, it wasn't just to make sure you were alive and healthy, it was because of something else." She swallowed, glancing around, unease in her stomach.

"What? Uncle Jethro, what are you talking about?" After rummaging around in his car for several minutes, Gibbs stood again, turning to Jo. He held out a manilla folder. Quickly, Jo opened the folder, flipping through the files. "NCIS?" Gibbs reached up, gently brushing a strand of hair off her cheek.

"Your father wanted me to watch out for you, Jo. And that's exactly what I intend to do- even if it means I have to put you on my team." And then, with a quick kiss to her forehead, he moved around and climbed into the driver's side of his car. "Let me know when you make up your mind." Jo watched him drive off before glancing down at the folder in her hands.


	2. Chapter 2

**Rifiuto: Non Mirena**

She flipped through the information for the sixth time that night, her mind going back to Gibbs. He'd known her since she was basically enutero, he'd looked out for her brothers and her, after her dad after their mom died. Yes, Leroy Jethro Gibbs had been a part of her life even before Ricco was born. And he'd... spent all these years looking for her? Well, that was partially Eureka's fault; once they were recruited, their slates were wiped clean, leaving only the most basic information, but essentially, they didn't exist. Like entering Witness Protection, as Carter had once joked. He was right.

She sighed, sitting back on the bed and rubbing her hands over her face. She had two choices: go back to Eureka and claim her walkabout a complete failure, which, it basically had been, or accept Gibbs's offer and join his team. The only problem with that option, was that she'd be leaving everything and everyone she knew behind for the unknown. But then again, maybe that wouldn't be such a bad thing. She was uncertain about her place in Eureka as is, and maybe a change of pace would be good for her. She could start fresh; clean her slate once again of all the crap she'd lived through in the small Oregon town, and start over. Start a new life.

Her mind immediately flashed to Carter, Allison, Henry, Grace, Fargo, Holly, Zane...

No. Half of them were six billion miles away, having a grand time on Titan, and the other three were still in Eureka, monitoring and watching out for the crew from below. With a quick glance back at the file, she grabbed the phone on the nightstand, and quickly dialed. Come on, pick up...

"Hello?" She let out the breath she'd been holding.

"Hey, um, it's me. Do... does your offer still stand?"

* * *

"Come on, Jo, pick up. Pick up, damn it!" Angrily, Carter slammed the phone back on the cradle, running a hand through his hair.

"Unable to get her?" Henry asked, setting a cup of coffee on the sheriff's desk and taking a seat in the chair across from him. Carter nodded, snatching up the cup and taking a sip.

"She won't answer her phone, won't answer her e-mail, or her texts-"

"Jack, did you ever consider that the point of a walkabout is to leave technology behind and become one with yourself and nature?" The sheriff sighed, and sat back in his chair.

"I just... she doesn't know what happened with the ship, Henry. She doesn't know that Zane and Allison and the others on that ship are gone, and we can't find them. She doesn't know that something went wrong. And if we can't find her, then how can we possibly hope to find the Astreaus and her crew?"

The older man steepled his fingers, thinking. "Give her time, Jack. She'll get into contact with us eventually, and when she does, we will fill her in and find the crew-"

"But what if we're too late, Henry?" Carter asked, and the other man stopped. "What if we don't find them, but we find Jo? Or what if we find them and don't find Jo? What if something happens to her on her walkabout and it's not that she won't get ahold of us, it's that she _can't_? Henry, what if she's hurt or... or in the hospital or something equally as bad? Henry, what if she's dead?" As Carter buried his face in his hands, Henry struggled to think of something to say.

* * *

She tightened her ponytail and stepped out of the elevator. The first sight to greet her was the grey of the bullpen. Taking a deep breath, she strode towards the entrance, searching for Gibbs. She didn't notice the guy oogling her at the desk. "Natalie Wood doppleganger at ten." His two partners- a man and woman- peeked around their desks to see the newcomer.

"Where'd she come from?" The first man shrugged, eyes moving down towards Jo's ass.

"I don't know, but she is gorgeous-"

"Natalie Wood was an actress, correct?" The woman asked, glancing at the men. The first nodded.

"Mostly known for _Miracle on 34th Street_, _West Side Story_ and of course, the ever wonderfully sexy, _Gypsy_." Before anyone could respond, they saw Gibbs strode towards the woman, and lean down when he got close, pressing a kiss to the woman's cheek.

"Whoa, Boss knows her? What do you think the relationship is?" The second man asked, surprised.

"Ex-wife?" The woman asked. The first shook his head.

"Too young. Daughter, perhaps?"

"No, Gibbs hasn't had any children besides Kelly." The second replied. They watched as the pair talked softly, and the woman beamed at him, before holding out a piece of paper. He said something to her, but took the paper anyway. And then, he turned, laying his hand on the small of the woman's back as he guided her into the bullpen. Instantly, the other three returned to their desks, pretending to look busy.

"You can all stop acting like you weren't snooping on a private conversation." Gibbs said, looking at the three.

"Snooping, Boss?" The first man said, standing. He went to Jo, turning on the smile and holding out a hand.

"I'm Anthony DiNozzo. Senior field agent for NCIS." She nodded, pasting on her own smile and taking his hand. "But you can call me Tony." _Cocky and egotistical, just like Zane._

"Quit sucking up, DiNozzo." Gibbs said, slapping the man on the back of the head. Jo chuckled, grinning. "This, is Josefina Lupo. She's transferred here from Oregon-"

"So, she is part of the team?" The woman asked, rising from her desk.

"As of oh-nine-hundred, yes. Jo, this is McGee, Ziva, and you've already met DiNozzo." Gibbs said, gesturing to each in turn. "Your desk is over there, next to Tony's." He said, gesturing to the empty desk across from his. A moment passed, before Jo went to the desk and set her things on the desktop. She smoothed the blouse she wore, and then, glancing down at the pale yellow, quickly grabbed the black jacket she'd slung over her shoulder and pulled it on.

"Gibbs, I can here, expecting an interview for the position, not to just have it handed to me." She said, turning to the team leader. Gibbs cocked his head to the side.

"And there was an interview." She shook her head.

"No, no, there was no interview, because I _was not there_." She replied, frantic.

"Yes there was, and you passed."

"So what did you do?" She demanded as he headed to the elevator. "Offer one grand for me? Cause that's what it cost for me to end up in Oregon!" She demanded, as the doors of the elevator opened. She glanced at the others, before dashing from the bullpen.

"She's gonna splat on the elevator doors." Tony said, but all three watched as she leaped into the small space as the doors slid closed. "Or not."

* * *

Carter tapped his fingers against the table. "Shall I fix some lavender tea for you, Jack? Lavender is often used as a relaxant, and you are tense-"

"No thank you, SARAH." Carter cut the house off, sipping his coffee.

"Just call her already, Jack. If anyone can find Jo, it's you." Kevin said, taking a seat across from the sheriff. "Hell, you found people for a living." Drinking in the kid's advice, he grabbed the phone and dialed her number. A sudden, familiar GD ringtone began to sound in the house, and after a moment, Kevin got up. He rummaged over the sofa, and then lifted out Jo's cellphone. Carter dropped the phone, blood rushing to his toes.

"Crap."

* * *

"What the hell was that, Uncle Jethro?" Jo demanded, turning to him once the doors had closed. When they were a reasonable ways away from the landing, Gibbs stopped the elevator, turning to her.

"I told you-"

"No, you didn't!" She cried. Gibbs took a deep breath.

"Josefina, you didn't need to come in for the interview because I had Director Vance talked to General Mansfield, and his high opinion of you basically made the decision."

"So-"

"Do not try to analyze this, Josefina. You are on my team, and can put your past behind you." Jo scoffed, and straightened.

"They don't know about me, do they?" She asked. "My relationship to you?" Gibbs shook his head. She nodded, "Good. So, once we step back into that bullpen," She swallowed, glancing at him. "You start kicking my ass. Like old times." Gibbs sighed internally in annoyance.

"I don't kick ass. And I didn't back then, either." He replied, flipping the switch and hitting the button. Jo glanced at him, licking her lips in nervousness. When the doors open, she followed Gibbs back into the bullpen, and headed to the desk that had been designated as hers. "Hold it." The other three looked up, waiting. "Josefina, I need you to hand over all your weapons." Slowly, the ravenhead turned to him.

"Weapons? What weapons?" She asked. Gibbs raised an eyebrow and beckoned her towards him. She went. The others watched, silent.

"Remove the Walther PPK/S tucked into your back, Jo." She did, handing to to him. Even though she'd been on walkabout, she'd been unable to keep her weapons at home- the joys of working security detail at the most volatile research company in the world; the need to be constantly armed, even off the clock. "And the Glock nestled into your side holster at her side," She handed it over, rolling her eyes. "The Smith & Wesson Six-Thirty-Seven Airweight concealed at your right ankle, and the switchblade tucked into your ankle," Sighing, she did as told, handing both over. "And the knife at your waist, and the Swiss Army one concealed in your cleavage."

Tony's eyes widened and his mouth dropped, drool forming at the corner of his mouth. She lifted out first, the one at her waist and held it out to him, hilt first. Gibbs took it, flipped it around, and handed it back to her. "You can keep that. But know I know. Come on, hand it over. The Swiss Army knife." She rolled her eyes and slipped a hand into her blouse, pulling out the small pocket knife.

"That is the hottest thing I've ever seen." Tony muttered. Ziva and McGee shared disgusted looks. Gibbs examined the small weapon before handing it back to her.

"She has more weapons than _me_." Ziva groused, annoyed.

"What research facility did you work in that required you to carry so many weapons?" Gibbs asked, as Jo slipped the small compact knife into her blouse again.

"You don't want to know," Jo replied. "Are we done?" Gibbs nodded, and she went to her desk, collapsing into her chair. "Thank you." She leaned back in her chair, covering her face with her hands.

* * *

Kevin rushed up to Jo's room, reading Carter's thoughts. The sheriff waited, and minutes later, the boy came back downstairs with her laptop and several other electronics she'd obviously left behind. As he set the things on the table, he asked,

"So, what do we do now?" Carter sighed, shrugging.

"I don't know, Kev." A moment passed, before he grabbed the phone and dialed Henry's number. "Henry, Jo didn't take anything with her- not electronic, anyway. We gotta find her. She can help us find the ship and the crew. Eure..." He sighed. "It just isn't the same without her in town."

* * *

"I'm looking for Agent Gibbs." Jo's eyes snapped open and she sat up at the familiar voice.

"General Mansfield?" The old general turned, gaze landing on Jo.

"So Director Vance took you on my suggestion. It's good to see you again, Sergeant." Jo instantly straightened, hands behind her back as she stood before the general.

"It's good to see you too, Sir. But, if I may ask, what are you doing here?" She asked. The others on Gibbs's team watched as the new member did all but salute the older man.

"Clearly she knows him." Ziva said.

"Old commander? Same unit?" McGee offered. Tony wrinkled his nose, but didn't say anything.

"I am just... bringing the files from Eureka and Global Dynamics that Director Vance asked for." He handed them to Gibbs, and then turned back to Jo. His gaze softened for a moment, and his voice was gentle. "You'll do good work here, Jo. Any facility in the world would be happy to have you- even Mossad. Global didn't appreciate you, nor did that town. You're better off without them." She nodded, a hint of sadness flashing in her dark eyes.

"Thank you, Sir. It means a lot to me." Mansfield nodded, turning to Gibbs.

"You have one of the best sharpshooters on your team, Agent Gibbs. Her talents were squandered at GD; don't make me think the same here. I can easily reassign Jo, and believe me, that is the last thing I want to do. Don't force me to." And then he turned to Jo, who straightened, nodding to him. "At ease, Sergeant, and good luck." Jo relaxed, watching until Mansfield and his lackeys were gone, and then she relaxed, glancing at Gibbs. The older man nodded, and then, in one fell swoop, smacked her lightly on the back of the head.

"You can relax, Jo. Mansfield's gone." Rubbing the back of her head, Jo did as told, going to her desk with a glance back at Gibbs.


	3. Chapter 3

**Rifiuto: Non Mirena**

The search had been exhaustive, for the last three weeks- ever since Jo left- but now with this new information about Jo... Carter had called the house in Jersey; the current owners had never met Jo, nor knew anything about the family that built and owned the house, seeing as both Jo's beloved parents were dead- and from what Kevin had been able to find, it looked like Jo was somewhere in Boston, but they weren't entirely sure.

Carter paced back and forth in the cafe. "So, first the ship is sabotaged with the crew and Allison on board, and then it disappears. Jo, meanwhile, leaves on walkabout and we can't get ahold of her. And the place where I've called has never met her. From what we know, she's in Boston- hopefully. So, where does that leave us?"

Vincent shrugged, setting a strawberry shake in front of Kevin, along with a blueberry muffin before leaning on the counter.

"She's going to find herself. Personally, I think there's something romantic about going in search of answers." Carter glared at the chef. "I'm just saying, not that I don't want her back here, but, it is romantic." Carter sighed, taking a seat at the counter.

"Maybe we'd better focus on finding the ship and her crew first before we find Jo. Once we have the crew safe and sound, then we can find Jo and bring her home." Henry said, joining the trio at the counter.

* * *

She swallowed, pulling on the uniform cargos and the white tank top before grabbing the dark blue plaid, when she stopped. A moment passed before she brought the material to her nose and sniffed. Instantly, Zane's scent filled her nose, and she became lost in her memories. When she opened her eyes, she balled the shirt up and threw it in the trashcan in the bedroom and pulled on a regular t-shirt, over the tank before grabbing the NCIS jacket and hat and leaving the room.

"It is about time you decided to leave the bathroom." She looked up; Ziva David, Sophomore- or however the ranking went in NCIS- field agent, and former Mossad officer, stood by the bathroom door, waiting for her. Since she'd been assigned to NCIS, Gibbs had ordered Ziva to let Jo stay until she got her own apartment in the D.C. area; neither woman was happy about it, but had tried to make do by being civil to each other in public and avoiding each other in private.

"Sorry, I... wasn't dressed appropriately for Gibbs. I am now." Without a word, Ziva left the apartment and Jo followed, rolling her eyes. The ride was quiet, and their entrance into the bullpen brought a new face that Jo had never met. "Um... hello?"

She sidled around the woman dressed Goth with two tight pigtails and a studded dog collar on who was standing in the middle of the area, and moved towards the end of the pen, where she'd dumped her things earlier, and took a seat. The woman watched her, most likely sizing her up, if not finding the best way to kill her. When she looked up next, it was to the woman holding out a hand. "Hi. I'm Abby Schuito." Wearily, Jo reached out and took her hand.

"Jo Lupo." She grimaced as Abby squeezed her hand tightly. "Nice to meet you. Um... what do you do?"

"Oh, I work in Forensics." Jo nodded, raising her eyebrows. "I just.. wanted to... meet you. When Gibbs told me that there was a new team member... I just got back from a trip, so I missed all the fun."

"Abby, don't you have somewhere to be?" Gibbs asked, entering the bullpen. The Goth turned to him.

"But Gibbs, I wanted to meet the new girl! Since I was gone last week when Director Vance and you hired her-"

"And now that you've met her," Gibbs said, cutting into her whine. "You can return to your lab, and get your machines ready, because we have a case." Jo's brow furrowed.

"A case?" Gibbs and the others stopped grabbing their gear, turning to her. Tony smirked.

"Yeah, Probie Two. A case. A murder investigation-"

"I got it, thanks." Jo replied, grabbing the things and racing to catch up. "Wait!" Somehow, she managed to just miss being caught in the gap as the elevator doors closed.

* * *

Carter turned to Henry. "I can't believe Wen was behind the ship being taken, and the crew..."

"Well, now we know who's behind it; we just need to figure out how to stop her." Henry replied, going over the information they'd gathered recently.

"And we still haven't heard from Jo." Carter said, glancing over at the desk that had once belonged to his best friend. Andy was out taking care of something at Dr. Leonardo's greenhouse, leaving the two men to go over the evidence alone.

"Jack, I know you miss her, but we have to focus. The sooner we find the crew and get them home, the sooner we can... find Jo. Although, to be perfectly honest, I don't think she needs finding at all. If you want my honest opinion, I think she's out having a good time and finding what she was missing."

"What she's missing is that Zane loves her and isn't willing to let her go, and that she needs to come home." Carter muttered.

* * *

"So, what exactly does this... case entail? Shooting something or someone? Kicking ass?" Jo asked, as she followed Ziva, snapping pictures as she did. Gibbs had regulated his beloved adoptive niece to photographer, seeing as this was her first major case. Tony snorted, his eyes going to Jo's ass as she and Ziva led the way.

"What's a'matter, Probie Two? Never seen or solved a murder before?"

"Actually, I have. Multiple times." Jo snapped, glancing over her shoulder at Tony, who forced his eyes to her face. "The type of murders I've solved though aren't your average... woah." The team stopped, surrounding a puddle of red, sticky blood.

"So, what? Your murders never dealt with blood puddles?" Tony asked. Jo glanced at him.

"Actually, no. But they did deal with spontaneous human combustion and sometimes... bioluminescense." The other three turned to look at her.

"Where exactly did you work before?" McGee asked. Jo glanced towards him, and raised the camera at the puddle.

"It's classified." She replied as the camera clicked away.

"What'a we got, team?" Gibbs asked, as Ducky and Palmer joined them.

"A puddle of blood." Ziva said.

"A really, _really_ big puddle of blood." Jo echoed, taking another photo.


	4. Chapter 4

**Rifiuto: Non Mirena**

Jo could easily say that she was seriously starting to doubt her ability to work at NCIS- if her first case was any indication. Gibbs and the others had had her running all over the place, snapping pictures- because, according to Tony, she wasn't allowed to gather evidence until she'd _at least_ worked two cases- until her feet had given out on her and her eyes refused to look through the camera lense again. And to make things worse, that asshat Tony had tripped her, sending her into the blood puddle, and Gibbs hadn't allowed her to take a shower until they'd solved the case. In the end, it had been a beating gone wrong over drugs being dealt on the naval base, and now, Jo sat at her desk, exhausted, but not having the strength to get out of the chair. She was caked in blood, her hair was hard and dry, and she could easily say that she would never begrudge Allison again for bringing up the conversation about her having kids someday.

"Go home, get some sleep, and take a shower, Jo. You reek." Gibbs ordered, as Jo pushed herself to her feet.

"That's because Tony tripped me." She muttered, grabbing her things. Ziva rolled her eyes, tossing her head as she headed to the elevator. As the group headed down in the elevator, Ziva leaned close, saying,

"You're welcome to plot his demise when we get back to my apartment." Jo turned to look at her, and Ziva shrugged.

* * *

Carter blinked. He'd been at this search for weeks, and had come up empty handed. He'd taken Jo's laptop and PDA and locked them in his desk at work. Now, he pulled them out, and studied them. Knowing that he was about to invade her privacy, he opened the laptop, turned it on, and quickly scanned through the search history. He came up empty. Damn. Then again, Jo had once been military, and part of that entailed keeping secrets, so it wasn't surprising. Just as he was about to start another search, Kevin rushed into the office.

"Jack!" He looked up, the boy looked frantic.

"What's wrong, Kev?"

"We found the ship. We found the ship!"

* * *

Jo sipped her tea in silence, not looking up from her mug. Somehow, her walkabout had taken a turn she hadn't planned on, and she'd ended up on Gibbs's team, the newest member of NCIS._ "You never know where a walkabout's gonna take you."-_ she was going to kill both Fargo and Taggart. And she actually could. Now, it was just plotting the appropriate demise for both men. She looked up when Ziva settled on the other side of the sofa in pink heart fleece pajama bottoms and a t-shirt. She snorted, rolling her eyes. Ziva turned to her.

"What is so funny?" Jo shook her head, sipping her tea.

"Nothing." She replied, folding her legs underneath her, her blue plaid pajama bottoms bunching above her ankles. She adjusted the straps of the two tanks she wore to bed, and sighed, losing herself in her thoughts. She was in a soldier, she could speak twelve different languages and kill a man using just her thumbs. She had a shooting range in her basement, and was fluent in eighteen different types of mixed martial arts- the majority of which not even the government knew about- as well as being skilled in the schools of both interrogation and seduction. She could diffuse bombs in five seconds, and hit her target from two thousand feet away; and yet, here she was, in a new job, with people who obviously didn't like her, and with no way of- okay, and no real reason- to get ahold of her loved ones back in Oregon. Add in that she was still undecided about Zane... "Yep, good job, Jo. You've fucked up royally." She muttered, becoming lost in her thoughts again.

"I am sorry?" She glanced at Ziva, and shook her head. They returned to the silence, before Ziva asked, "So, how do you know Gibbs?" Jo looked up at her, eyebrows raised. She tried to think of a good lie, but soon settled for the truth.

"He's an... old family friend. He... helped raise my brothers and I, after our mom died. He'd been looking for me for the last few years and... apparently, he found me." She chuckled weakly, returning to her wallowing, when Ziva set her own cup down and scooted closer, facing her, crosslegged. The assassin studied her for several minutes before,

"You are very pretty." Jo slowly turned to her.

"Um... thank you." Slowly, Ziva reached up to brush her fingers against Jo's cheek, and the former soldier grabbed the woman's wrist, twisting. She could easily snap the other woman's wrist in two in the blink of an eye, but something in the woman's eyes stopped her. They stared at each other for several minutes, before Ziva brushed her fingers against the other woman's skin, catching the eyelash that had fluttered to her cheek. Slowly, Jo let go of her, and Ziva leaned forward, pursing her lips and blowing, watching as the eyelash fluttered away on the small gust of air.

"Make a wish, yes?" She asked, sitting back. Jo nodded, turning back to her coffee. "Where did you work previously? And what were you doing here when Gibbs found you?" Ziva watched the other woman swallow, noticing how they looked a lot alike- same dark hair, dark eyes, olive skin. In another life, they could have been sisters...

Jo took a deep breath, scooting closer to the arm of the sofa. "I worked in Oregon. In a small town. For a company. First as the town's deputy, and then as... as the Head of Security for the major company."

"The 'GD', that the General was talking about?" Ziva asked, scooting closer, causing Jo to scramble onto the arm of the sofa. Not that the Israeli scared her, she just didn't want any sort of contact with anyone tonight.

"Yes. And... as for what I was doing when Jethro found me... I was going on a walkabout." Ziva cocked her head to the side, confused. With the same calm voice she used when talking with McGee or Gibbs, she asked,

"What is... walkaround?"

"Walkabout." Jo corrected. "A walkabout. It's..." She bit her lip. "It's supposed to be a journey of self-discovery. A... a time that you take to... to discover the secrets of the universe, and find your... mission in life." She muttered, glancing down at her tea. "And I've... failed at that. I... I suck at a self-reflection. I tried and... I gave up. Which is... what I do. It's what I'm good at." Ziva scooted closer, and Jo, having nowhere else to go, stayed where she was.

"You did not find what you were looking for?" Jo shook her head.

"No." She sighed. "I don't think I ever will." A moment passed, before Ziva reached out and took her hand with a gentle squeeze.

"You will. Someday, you will find what you were looking for."

* * *

"We were _so_ close." Carter collapsed on the sofa in the office. "We found the ship but-"

Kevin's device had located the ship- hidden within the side of a mountain. However, when Carter and Jo's security team got there, they found only the ship- not a sign of the crew or Allison. Carter was still convinced that Wen had something to do with the disappearances; they just had to find out what, and where she was keeping the Astreaus's crew.

"We'll find them, Boss." He looked up as Andy entered. "We'll find the crew and Doctor Blake, and then Ms. Lupo will return, and everything will be as it should be in Eureka." Carter sighed at the grin on the robot's face.

"It's not that simple, Andy. Out of the two, Jo would be the easiest to find-" He stopped, sitting up. "That's it!" And without another word, he grabbed his cell and quickly dialed a number he knew all too well. "Hey, Jason, it's Jack Carter. Yeah, I was wondering, could you put a BOLO out on..."


	5. Chapter 5

**Rifiuto: Non Mirena**

The security team burst into the room, all guns and armor. Zane had never been so happy to see GD's security in his life.

"Zane!" Someone slipped his arm over their shoulders, and he looked up, to see Jo's second-in-command, Rowley, helping him up. The others were slowly coming out of the haze of confinement they'd been in for the last month, and it was then that Zane saw Carter and Henry rush into the room. The rest of the Consortium was being rounded up and taken away in handcuffs. Rowley helped him back onto the bed, as the crew was checked for signs of physical injury.

"What...? What happened?" He turned, to see Allison suddenly being engulfed in Carter's arms.

"Thank God you're okay." He said, kissing her head.

"But... Jack... Jo..." She looked up at him. "You and Jo... you two..." Zane saw Carter and Henry exchanging sad glances. Carter shook his head.

"Jo's on her walkabout, Doctor Blake." Hertz said, joining them, as she removed her helmet.

"She should be here." Zane said, looking around frantically. Carter and Henry shared another glance, this one unreadable.

"Actually," Carter started. "We... we haven't heard from Jo since she left. And I... I had a friend at the marshals put a BOLO out for her, just in case she got hurt, or something happened to her." He rocked back on his heels. Allison shook her head as Blythe came to check up on them.

"No, Jack... you... you and Jo..."

"You were doing it in the Matrix." Zane said, not able to hide the pain in his eyes.

Her three best friends raised their eyebrows. "_What?"_ They all turned to Carter.

"Zane, that wasn't real. It was an idea thought up by the Consortium. You know I would never do that to you. To either you or Ali. Jo loves you, and when she gets back, she'll tell you herself." Zane shook his head, getting off the bed. Rowley and Hertz caught him as he moved off the bed.

"No. If she did, she'd be here. And she's not." Rowely shot Carter a look as they left, that screamed, _Find her and bring her home._

* * *

Jo finally felt as though she were settling into her place in Gibbs's team, and she settled back in her chair. It was a quiet day at NCIS- not unusual, but it did occasionally happen- and Jo and Ziva had just come back from lunch, hamburgers and drinks to go. Ziva tossed one to McGee, who in turn handed her the five bucks for his, as Tony looked on in hunger. "You didn't get me one?" He asked, as Jo unwrapped hers and took a bite.

"We did not know you wanted one, Tony." Ziva replied, meeting Jo's eye from across the room. After their little heart-to-heart after Jo's first case, she and Ziva had gotten to be pretty good friends, staying up and chatting most nights, or shopping on their days off. She'd even gotten to be good friends with McGee; though Tony was another story. He was too much like Zane, and it hurt, so Jo avoided him as much as she could. The former Head of Security had quickly become Ziva's go-to partner when it came to crime scenes, and Tony and McGee would often watch the girls walk off to take care of something, heads down and hands animated as they talked.

"Seems fair to me, considering you didn't get me a milkshake the last time you got lunch, like I asked." Jo replied, rolling her eyes as she savored the grease-filled hamburger. "You know, Tony, you are missing out-"

"Don't patronize me, Josefina." Tony replied, staring longingly at the food. He got up, heading out of the bullpen to get something at the vending machine, and stole a fry; Jo was up and out of her chair before the other two could blink. She swiftly swatted Tony on the back of the head.

"Don't call me that!" She snapped. "And don't touch! Like I want your germy, STD-covered hands all over my fries."

"STDs are only passed through sexual contact, that's why they call them STDs." Tony replied, as he bit into the fry.

"Either way, don't touch my food." She replied, returning to her seat.

"She's right, DiNozzo. Only a select few are allowed to call her 'Josefina' and you are not one of them." Gibbs said, entering the area, coffee in hand. "Gear up, dead Marine in Walnut Creek." Quickly, the other three grabbed the remainder of their lunches and slung their bags over their shoulders. Gibbs tossed the keys to Jo. "Jo, take Ziva and McGee in the truck. Tony and I will meet you there." She nodded, following the other two to the elevator, waving in that two-fingered way she had to Tony, a smirk on her face.

* * *

"You're sure? Okay... okay, thanks. Bye." Sighing, Carter hung up the phone, and buried his face in his hands. His friends at the marshals hadn't turned up anything on Jo; she'd been gone nearly three months, and the town, the people, everything, even GD, seemed so off balance without her, that he didn't see how life could go back to normal. "Well, they've found absolutely nothing on Jo. It's just... it's like she's vanished, off the face of the earth." Carter said, as Allison took a seat beside him on the sofa.

"Did you ever think that maybe Jo doesn't want to be found? That maybe it's for the best? Maybe she did this for a reason, Jack." He pulled away as Allison rubbed his back.

"How can you say that, Allison? How can you truly say that?" He asked, horrified. Allison shrugged. He knew she- and the rest of the crew- had been having a hard time adjusting to reality, but this hostility towards Jo was ridiculous. He'd been in the matrix, getting them out- hell, Jo was his best friend, and a woman Allison looked on as a little sister- there was no reason for this hate towards Jo. "What happened in the matrix wasn't real! You have to know that!"

"But watching you-"

"Ali! It didn't happen! Okay? Jo left- she's... I can't even find her to let her know that Zane is safe! Do you know how this is killing him?" Allison stayed quiet, as Carter grabbed his jacket and storme out of the house.

* * *

"What do you think is worse? Watching Gibbs interrogate or being in the room with him?" Jo asked, cocking her head. She, Ziva and Tony stood watching the interrogation take place. They'd caught the scum that had raped and killed Jenna Smith, and were now watching him sit across from the man, silent.

"Definately being in the room with Gibbs." Tony said, taking a bite of his hot dog.

"Do you have to eat that in here?" Jo asked, wrinkling her nose.

"I would have eaten earlier, if two someones had thought to grab me lunch." He snarked, glaring at them both. Jo rolled her eyes, and turned back to the interrogation, when her phone rang. She grabbed it.

"Lupo." She stopped, listening to whoever was on the other end of the line, and then, with a quick glance towards Gibbs, she fled the observation room. Ziva and Tony share a quick glance before she followed.


	6. Chapter 6

**Rifiuto: Non Mirena**

_Three Years Later..._

"Morning all."

Ziva accepted the coffee Jo set on her desk. _"Toda."_

McGee and Tony shared a look, before glancing at the former soldier. They were used to coming in in the mornings and finding cups of hot coffee on their desks, and both knew it wasn't from Ziva. With Ziva finally becoming a citizen and Jo's joining the team, both McGee and Tony found that the team felt... complete. They were the five points of a star, creating a whole constellation, finishing a puzzle. They'd all gotten used to having another member of their team, and soon found that it wasn't the same if Jo wasn't around; sure, they had their tiffs with Jo, but still, she was part of the team, and they loved her. Ziva and Gibbs kept a close eye on her; Ziva had told Gibbs about Jo rushing out to answer her phone that long ago day three years ago, but neither had pushed. To this day, Jo refused to mention it.

Jo grinned, _"Al lo davar." _She returned to her own desk, taking a sip of her own coffee before setting it down and taking a seat in her chair...

And promptly found herself sitting on the floor. Ziva was the only one to notice with alarm, while McGee was too focused on his work, and Tony pretended to flip through a magazine. "Jo! Are you okay?"

Slowly, Ziva watched her friend rise slightly, gaze over her desk, eyes moving about the bullpen as she searched for the culprit. She glanced at Ziva, who shook her head. Then, her eyes flashed to McGee before she quickly ruled him out; her gaze landed on Tony, and as realization dawned, the dark orbs narrowed, glinting with malicious intent. Quickly, Ziva got up, going to her friend's desk and helping her up. "You okay?" Jo nodded, brushing herself off.

"Yeah, my ass just hurts." She moaned, gaze drifting to Tony.

"He did it to me when I first joined, to. Don't feel bad. You can get back at him, easy." Jo nodded, adjusting the purple top she wore. As she grabbed her cup, Gibbs rushed into the area, striding to his desk.

"Grab your gear. We got a dead Marine." The other four looked at one another, but did as told, rushing to catch up with him in the elevator.

* * *

"Carter, I think, if Jo had wanted to come back to Eureka, she'd have returned a month after the Astreaus and her crew were found, not two years later." Henry said, as Carter took a seat next to him at the counter in Cafe Diem. Allison glanced at Zane, who sat at the further end of the counter; he'd taken Jo's disappearance particularly hard- withdrawing into himself and refusing to get close to anyone. Even two years later, he still carried a torch for her, one he refused to extinguish. Carter sighed.

"I know, I... this... this isn't Eureka without Jo here. It just... it feels like... like everything and everyone is out of balance, and has been for the last two years-" He grabbed his phone at the ring. "Sheriff Carter... Rowley? Rowley, calm down... o... okay, I'll be right there." And after hanging up, he rushed out of the cafe, Henry and Zane, who'd noticed the troubled look on Carter's face, behind him.

By the time they made it to the park, the three could see why Rowley was so upset. She'd been out for a run, and come across a body. Without looking at either Henry or Zane, Carter whispered, "See, out of balance."

* * *

"So, where are we going, Boss?" Tony asked, as the SUV pulled to a stop and they unbuckled their seatbelts. "Silver Spring? The Naval Base-" But he stopped, seeing the plane- comissioned by General Mansfield to take them to their destination.

"Nope. A small town in Oregon." Gibbs said, as he led his team onto the plane. Jo and the others shared glances, before following.

"Um... what town in Oregon?" Jo asked, as she entered the plane behind McGee, Ziva behind her. Gibbs turned to her.

"One you should know very well, Josefina." He whispered. She furrowed her brow, confused.

"I-" She stopped, stepping out of the way as Ziva boarded, along with Ducky, Palmer and Abby, and the door closed. Gibbs looked up at her. He noticed the seat she was standing next to, and was silently grateful she was near someplace to sit, as he said,

"Eureka."

* * *

"What happened to her? Who is she?" Rowley asked, pacing anxiously back and forth. They'd gone back to Cafe Diem, where Henry and Carter had promptly sat Rowley down and gotten her water; Carter had called Fargo, who'd instantly called Mansfield and said he would wait for them at his office before bringing them to the sheriff's office.

"We don't know. But General Mansfield said he would be here in three hours, with NCIS, the team from D.C."

"Naval Criminal Investigative Service." Rowley nodded. "I know them well. Former Navy, after all." Allison nodded, squeezing the woman's shoulder.

"Come on, Fargo said he would meet us in Carter's office." They moved in silence to Carter's office, and all sat waiting for Fargo, Mansfield and the NCIS team to show. Zane was talking softly with Rowely, trying to get her to calm down, while Carter and the others sat quietly, counting the minutes. When everyone looked up next, it was to Fargo entering with General Mansfield.

"It's good to see you all again, I just wish it were under better circumstances." Mansfield said as the doors closed behind him.

"Where's your-"

"They're coming," Mansfield assured Allison. "I just... wanted to let you all know that... this team is the best at what they do. Please, do not try to hinder them in any way, be as cooperative as possible, and if they need access to something, I have given full permission." He stopped, thinking. "There is also, one member of this team that you all may recognize, but please, don't try to persuade her back here. She's doing a lot of good with NCIS, and she doesn't need to return to this chaos." And without another word, Mansfield opened the door and turned to the Eureka residents. "This, is Agent Gibbs's team. I expect this case solved, understand?" Every nodded as he left, and they watched the team enter the station.

* * *

"Are you sure you're okay, Jo?" McGee asked, as they headed up the steps to the station. Jo nodded, giving him a shaky smile.

"Yeah, I... it's just... being back here... brings up a lot of... uneasy memories." She said, as they entered the building.

"Do not worry, Josefina. Uneasy memories are more often outweighed by the good memories one has." Ducky said, as he allowed her to enter before him. She smiled at him as Gibbs led them into the sheriff's office, a giggle escaping her lips.

"Thanks, Ducky, I'll remember-" She stopped, her words dieing on her lips as she stared at those she thought she'd left behind. Carter's gaze was on Gibbs, and he went to the older man, shaking his hand.

"I'm Sheriff Jack Carter, welcome to Eureka. This is, Henry Deacon, the town's mayor, Douglas Fargo, Head of Global Dynamics, Allison Blake, Head of the Medical Department, Zane Donovan," He glanced at the younger man, noticing him wince as he added the title Fargo had given him. "Head of Section Five, and Gwendolyn Rowley, Head of-" Carter's throat caught. "Head of Security."

The silver-haired man nodded to each of them, before turning to his team. "It's nice to meet you all. I'm Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs, and this is my team- Dr. Donald Mallard and Mr. Jimmy Palmer, our Forensic Abby Shuito." Each nodded in turn, and Carter found himself examining each in turn, sizing up the newcomers. "Senior Field Agents Anthony DiNozzo and Timothy McGee, and my Junior Field Agents, Ziva David and Josefina Lupo." Everyone's heads snapped up at the last name, and Carter turned. Taking a deep breath, Jo and Ziva stepped forward.

"Jo?" He had to force himself to keep from pulling her into a bone-crushing hug and never let go. So instead, he forced himself to study her. She looked just as she had when she'd left, three years ago. She was the same, she looked the same- except for her outfit; her outfit was different. She wore a pair of tan cargo pants and a dark purple top that rode just above her hips and exposed a slender portion of stomach, and familiar leather jacket hung open on her slender frame. Her long, black hair was, for once, down around her shoulders parted on the left, and swept over her right shoulder in loose curls. Her makeup was subtle- while here in Eureka, she'd never worn makeup. He could see a gun in the holster at her hip, and she wore a pair of heeled black boots. He could see her badge hooked on her belt, and she slowly raised her head, meeting her old boss's gaze. "Josefina-" He stepped towards her, but backed up, grasping Ziva's wrist. The former Israeli glanced at her, reaching down to squeeze her hand.

"You know one of my agents, Sheriff Carter?" Gibbs asked. Carter turned to the others, who had all gathered around him except for Zane.

"Yes. Jo was my deputy. She's... also the Head of Security." Tony chuckled.

"Not anymore. She's one of ours now." He said, slinging an arm around Jo's shoulders. At the sound of Tony's voice, Zane stood, pushing to the front of their small group.

"What's going- Jojo?" Her head snapped up at the familiar voice, and suddenly, her eyes began to fill with tears. Memories of their last goodbye filled her head, and she longed to throw herself in his arms and kiss him, but she held back, squeezing Ziva's hand harder, looking for safety. The two groups watched the former lovers, as Jo slowly stepped forward, with a deep, shaky breath.

"Hello, Zane." She whispered, tossing her head, her curls falling down her back. Zane's eyes hungrily traveled over her frame, before landing on her face.

"God, Jojo- I..." He reached for her, but she pulled back, looking at him through her lashes. She swallowed, whispering,

"It's good to see you again, Zane." She straightened, backing away from all of them. "It's good to see all of you again. Now, if you could lead us to the crime scene-"

"Oh Jo-" She blocked out Allison's soft whisper, and turned, fleeing from the office. Gibbs glanced at Ziva and McGee. McGee nodded, rushing off with a soft,

"On it, Boss." Ziva turned, to go, but turned back, sizing up Carter and the others, before following. Zane watched them rush after Jo; now that she was back, he felt his heart begin to mend.


	7. Chapter 7

**Rifiuto: Non Mirena**

"Jo! Jo, wait!" She stopped, leaning against the SUV. She heard their footsteps stop, and after a moment, she turned. Desperately, she tried to hide the the tears in her eyes, to no avail.

"Jo, do you know that man? The one who called you-" Ziva started, as she moved towards the other woman slowly, so as not to frighten her. She nodded, quickly swiping at her face.

"Yeah, I... I know him. I know all of them. They... they were part of my old team. I was... Head of Security for Global Dynamics." She sniffled, as Ziva joined her. "I'm fine, Iva." Jo whispered, "I promise, _akhyot_." Ziva gave her a small smile, holding her face in her hands. Ziva looked on Jo as a surrogate sister, and so they often referred to each other by the Hebrew term. Jo had been reluctant at first, but soon, had agreed, when she realized that Ziva was indeed like a sister to her. Several minutes passed before Ziva and McGee led her back into the building, but Jo stopped outside the main office. They listened to Gibbs and Carter talk, before Tony and the others came out.

"Josefina." She looked up, going to Gibbs. "You okay?" She nodded. "Good." He pressed a kiss to her cheek, before heading to the doors. "McGee, you drive, let's go! We've got a case to solve." As Ziva and McGee followed, Jo held back. She turned, to see Carter and the others watching her. A moment passed.

"Jo-" Carter stepped forward to take her hand, when Gibbs called out to her.

"I'm coming, Gibbs!"

* * *

Carter and Rowley led the way; the park had been cordoned off so that the NCIS team could do their work. He and Rowley watched as Jo snapped photographs, doing all she could to ignore them. Allison, and Henry stood back further with Fargo, watching, waiting.

"Hey! Come look at this!" Jo knelt down, reaching out and grabbing something that was tangled in the corpse. Tony rushed over, interested.

"What is it? The remainder of lingerie? Or a toy, perhaps?"

"What would a woman be doing with a child's toy?" Ziva asked, leaning over to get a better look.

"Not a child's toy, Ziva. A sex toy. Used in the bedroom for... adventurous couples." Tony said, dramatically.

"Mainly used in S&M," Jo said. "Along with black leather, cages and handcuffs-" Tony raised an eyebrow.

"You sound well versed in the art of the naughty, Jo. You have a secret life we don't know about?" She smirked.

"You mean besides this place? You don't want to know, Tony."

"Personally, I always found the handcuff thing kind of hot-"

"It's much hotter when you're trapped in a cage and in nothing but a catsuit." Jo replied, as Tony's eyes lit up.

"Ah, Josefina, you... naughty, naughty girl." She rolled her eyes, glancing at Ziva.

"Back to work, DiNozzo." Gibbs replied, passing by the three with a smack to the back of Tony's head. Jo returned to what she'd found. She tugged, finding that it was a lavelier chain in her hand. Finally, it broke free, sending her onto her back.

"I got it!" Quickly, Ziva moved to bag and tag it, when Jo stopped. She was staring at the charm that hung between her hands, and her face paled. A small, crescent moon.

"No." Jo dropped the charm, scrambling towards the torso.

"Jo! What are you doing? _You're contaminating a crime scene_!" Gibbs snapped at her, but she didn't hear him. Instead, she frantically turned the body around-

And stared into Tamsen Blythe's dead blue eyes.

She scrambled away from the body, only to be yanked to her feet by Gibbs, who led her several feet from the scene. "What the hell did you think you were doing?" He asked, meeting her eyes. She took a deep breath.

"Gibbs, I _know_ that girl. I _grew up_ with her. She's... she's one of my best friends." She swallowed tears, struggling to remain professional. "Tamsen Blythe, Marine Lieutenant, First Class. She joined my security team when I was the head here; she's the best Marine sniper in her class. I can give you all the information you want on her." Gibbs laid a finger over her lips, stopping her.

"Go." She nodded, joining the rest of the team, while he went to Carter and the other Eurekians. "Jo said she knows the vic. A... Tamsen Blythe?" Rowley gasped, covering her mouth with her hand, turning and burying her face in Henry's shirt. "We are going to need to see everything you have on Lieutenant Blythe-"

"Former. She's a former Marine." Rowley choked out, looking at him. Gibbs nodded. Carter sighed, glancing towards Jo, before turning back to Gibbs.

"We'll get you everything you want."

* * *

"This is such a cute diner." Ziva said, as she followed Tony, McGee and Abby into Cafe Diem. Jo had agreed to meet them there for food after she settled into her room at the B&B, leaving the four to get a table.

"Welcome to Cafe Diem! You must be new." Ziva smiled widely at the man who must be the owner, behind the counter. "I'm Vincent, welcome to Eureka!"

"Ziva David, this is Abby Schiuto and my partners, Timothy McGee and Anthony DiNozzo. We're with NCIS, investigating-"

"The murder of Tamsen Blythe? I heard. So horrible. She was a wonderful girl. Please, sit. What can I get you?"

"Um, where are the menus?" Abby asked, looking around.

"Oh honey, we don't have menus here." He said, as the four got settled in a booth. "If you want it, we got it." As Vincent was talking her partners up, Jo entered, having changed out of her evidence-covered clothing into a pair of dark wash jeans and a peach tank, with a green jacket. She'd obviously taken a shower and had pulled her hair back into a high ponytail. She wore a pair of sneakers and had her ipod on and was listening to music. When Vincent turned to get their orders, he stopped, upon seeing Jo in the doorway. "Oh my-" She ignored him, looking around for her partners, before finding herself enveloped in Vincent's back breaking grip. "Oh Jo! It's been so long since you've set foot here-" She pulled out her headphones, surprised.

"Oh, hi, Vincent. Good to see you again. Long time no see." She moved to brush past him, when he grabbed her hand.

"Jo," She turned back. "Eureka hasn't been the same without you." She nodded, giving him a small smile before hurrying to join her group.

"Sorry about that. I keep running into people I know here." She said, taking a seat next to Tony.

"Speaking of," Ziva said. "Is that the guy that called you, 'Jojo' back at the police station?" Jo turned, her heart plummeting into her shoes. Zane stood in the middle of the cafe, watching her. She swallowed.

"What is your history with him, J?" Ziva asked, calling her by her pet name for Jo. A moment passed, before Jo said,

"Nothing. There is no history between us. Be right back." And she got up, scurrying to grab the drink order she'd placed. As she did so, she slipped her headphones in and blasted her music; it was so loud, the others at her table could hear it, not that they minded. Dr. Dre and Blackstreet soon filled not only her ears, but the team's as well, and as she headed up to get the drinks, she noticed Hertz, at the other end of the counter. After a moment, she removed her headphones. The brunette gave her sad, small smile.

"Hey Josie." And without another word, she was gone. When Jo returned to the booth, or table for the extra room- she'd managed to skirt around Zane and miss him completely- Gibbs, Ducky and Palmer had joined them. Over burgers, fries and drinks, they discussed what had been found and discovered, as the cafe slowly thinned out. Soon, the only ones left were the NCIS team- until Carter and the others showed up, heading for their usual table in the back corner, only to find it being occupied.

"Um..." Carter glanced at the others.

"There's other tables, Carter." Zane said; he'd been in front of the fireplace, working on something on his tablet the entire afternoon- since Fargo had closed GD due to Blythe's death and the investigation. Moments passed, as they took the tables to the right of their usual; they were close enough that they could hear the conversation and read the reports, if wanted.

* * *

"Whatta you got for me, Duck?" Gibbs asked as he took a sip of his coffee. Ducky sighed.

"Four shots to the chest, and one between the eyes. This was a crime of passion that ended in cold-blooded murder, Jethro." The others shuddered, but continued to go over the paperwork. Jo took a bite of her burger, letting her mind wander. She was the one that noticed her former family at the table beside theirs, deep in their own conversation. She tried to ignore them.

"Did you get any blood and particulates off Jo's clothing, since she touched the body?" Gibbs asked. Abby nodded.

"You would not believe the equipment this GD has! It's amazing! All the latest gadgets and-"

"Abby!" A chorus of voices pulled the Eurekians from their conversation, and they turned to the NCIS team.

"Right, sorry. There were mitochondrial traces of DNA on the clothing-"

"Including the bra and panties?" Tony asked, flashing Jo a charming grin. Jo rolled her eyes, and turned to Gibbs.

"Permission?" She asked. Gibbs nodded. The Eurekians watched as Jo leaned over the able and slapped Tony on the back of the head.

"I didn't know you liked it naughty, Jo." Tony said, grinning as he looked from Jo to Ziva and back. Without asking permission this time, both women slapped him in the back of the head. The others laughed softly.

"That's abuse!" Everyone turned as Allison stood. Carter grabbed her arm, trying to pull her back down. "You can cause brain damage from a blow like that-"

"It's more an NCIS term of affection." Tony said, slapping the back of his own head. Jo and Ziva shared a look. Jo was the first to break the silence.

"Seems like schlosta stooges to me. What about you, J?" Ziva asked; Jo thought a moment, sitting back in her chair.

"Shchlosta stooges? Oh definately." She said, imitating the famous three stooges. "Larry, Moe..."

"Curly, yes, Tony?" Ziva finished. He snickered at the two, glaring at them both. "I think we got to him, J." Jo chuckled, sipping her drink.

"Don't be such a spoilt sport, Tony. No body likes a-" She whispered the next word, before quickly pressing a kiss to his cheek as she got up and tossed the remains of her burger in the trash. When she returned to the table, she passed by Carter, who grabbed her hand, stopping her.

"Jo-" She turned to him. He couldn't read her face, and after a moment she pulled away, returning to her seat without a backward glance.

"So what else do we have to go on? Do we know anything about the man who did this?" She asked, tightening her ponytail.

"We start at her apartment tomorrow morning. Oh nine hundred. Since you know the town, Jo, this is technically your case. You take the lead." Jo sat up, surprised.

"But-" Instant protests came from Tony, resulting in Ziva slapping him again.

"She was your friend. Your case." A moment passed, before Jo turned to the others, a small smile flashing over her face. "You take lead." He whispered, pressing a kiss to Jo's cheek as he got up and went to her. Then, he gently patted her head.

"Why does she get the soft touch?" Tony demanded. The others turned to him. "What? I'm just asking."

"All right, hit the showers, team. We'll start in the morning." They hadn't realized that they'd been going over the evidence all day, and that it was nearly ten in the evening. All but Jo got up to leave. She sat at the table, lost in thought. Ziva laid a hand on her shoulder.

"_Akhyot_, coming?" Jo looked up at her, nodding.

"_Ken_, Ziva. Soon." The assassin nodded, following the others after gathering her things. Once she was alone, took a deep breath to calm her nerves, and then grabbed her things, and left the cafe; but instead of going to the B&B, she got in her car and drove off. Carter watched her flee, turning to the others, mind made up.

"We have to get her to stay."


	8. Chapter 8

**Rifiuto: Non Mirena**

She stood in front of the house that had once belonged to her- finished long ago, it was beautiful, with the veranda and the swing on the porch. She wondered if they'd decorated it, whomever lived there now. She didn't understand why she'd come here instead of going to the B&B like the rest of the team, but something... whether it was finding her best friend dead, or having to work her case and catch her killer or if it was being back here and seeing people she had once called family, or if it was just the whole thing- the case, the town, Carter and the others- that had her reevaluating everything she'd done in the last three years.

Taking a deep breath, closed her eyes and thought back on the last time she'd been in Eureka. It had been the day the Astreaus left-

She turned, pulling her gun from the holster at her hip as someone moved towards her. Her dark eyes frantically searched the shadows, and as the person came closer, she cocked the gun. "Whoa, it's just me, Jojo." Zane said, stepping into her view. Still, she didn't lower her weapon; instead, she moved closer.

"What do you want, Zane?" She demanded, her NCIS training kicking in. He felt tears begin to prick his eyes as he saw her holding tight to her gun. Just like before-

"I just want to talk, Jo. That's all." She seemed to think about his request, before slowly returning the hammer to the gun and holstering it.

"About what?" She asked, arms over her chest. She fidgeted from foot to foot; it was so unlike Jo that Zane grew concerned. He knew that part of it had to do with the case...

"Can we talk? At my place?" She bit her lip, and his heart clenched. He'd missed the sight of her lower lip between her teeth. A moment passed, before she nodded.

"Fine. But I'll meet you there."

* * *

His apartment was just as she remembered. As she stood in the living room, memories of their time together came flooding back to her. It was almost like she could hear the ghosts of their laughter, their conversations, within the walls of the apartment. She looked up when he held out a cup of coffee too her. Giving him a small smile, she took it, and then, took a seat at his desk, as far away from Zane as she could get. they sat in silence for several minutes before Zane asked,

"Why, Jo? Why did you leave? Why didn't you come home?" She didn't answer right away; instead, she weighed her options. She could lie, or she could tell the truth. She was in investigator, a field agent. She found the truth for a living. Taking a deep breath, she said,

"I... I needed to find myself. Find out what I wanted. Who I wanted. Where my life was leading."

"And it... led you to NCIS instead of home to Eureka?" She swallowed, looking into her coffee. Zane waited. He knew if he pushed her, she'd shut down and he'd never get another word out of her.

"I needed... a change of scene. A change of pace, if you will. NCIS... it gives me that. I have a job that I love, that I'm good at, I have a family-"

"You have a family here, Jo. Carter and Allison and Henry and everyone else in Eureka. It hasn't been the same without you." She slowly met his eyes, hers void of emotion.

"Correction, Zane. I had a family here. I don't anymore." She stood, deciding that the conversation was over. "Thanks for the coffee. As she set the cup on the island in the kitchen, Zane got up, grabbing her hand as she made it to the door.

"Jojo-" She turned back to him. A moment passed, before he leaned down, pressing a kiss to her lips. Never a good idea to kiss your ex, but Zane decided to take a chance. If he was lucky-

She pushed him away, a blush appearing on her cheeks. "Don't, Zane. The last thing I need is you drudging up old feelings while I'm working on solving my friend's murder. I'm sorry, Zane, but I can't do this." And without another word, she left.

* * *

Carter had allowed the team the team the use of his office during the investigation; currently, he was sitting in the cell, watching the three- the two men and the other woman- in various places, talking about the case; there was no sight of Jo, whom he'd decided to keep a close eye on specifically. Five minutes later, she came into the office, headphones in her ears, MIA's_ Bad Girls_ blasting from her ipod. She jumped, catching the breakfast burrito Tony tossed her, and with a grin and a wrinkle of her nose, Jo settled back in the chair at her old deputy desk.

She'd gone through so much at this desk, and it felt odd to be back. It brought back memories she wasn't sure she wanted to face just yet. As she removed her headphones, and unwrapped her burrito, she caught sight of Carter in the cell. "What'd you do, get caught impersonating a town sheriff?" She asked, taking a bite. The others laughed, as Carter stood, going to the bars.

"There's the Josefina I know." She licked her lips, looking up at him; her dark eyes shifted, suddenly nervous.

"What's a'matter, Jo? Cat got your tongue?" Tony asked. Jo turned to him, balled up a nearby piece of paper and tossed it at him. "Hey!" She stuck her tongue out at him, only to be hit in the head with a spitball. Carter watched, as suddenly, his office had been turned into a warzone; his mouth dropped as Jo eagerly took part in the fight, throwing at pen at him. Eventually she got up and dumped the last of her coffee- now lukewarm- over Tony's head. The sheriff was amazed at the almost unprofessional way Agent Gibbs ran his team, letting them do what they wanted, act like children- if Jo had done something like that when she was still deputy, she'd have been out on her ass before she could blink.

"You deserved it, DiNozzo, for letting her get to you." Gibbs said, entering the office as Jo and Tony rushed to their respective seats. "Gear up. We got a suspect to apprehend and question."

"Who?" Ziva asked, racing to catch up with Jo.

"A Dr. Jason Hanson- the vic's ex." Gibbs replied.

* * *

Carter let the team go first; he noticed them all flash the visitor passes they'd been given upon arrival in Eureka. It was strange, seeing Jo having to provide ID, when he'd been so used to her just walking into GD without any problem. But that was years ago, she was no longer a Eurekian, and that mere fact gave him a headache. As he followed, Jo stopped, gaze going to someone on the rotunda. She seemed to freeze for a moment, before dropping her gear and taking off.

"Jo! Special Agent Lupo! Get back here!" A moment passed, before Gibbs dropped his own gear and chased after her. Jo stopped several feet away, drawing her gun on whomever she was fixed on.

"NCIS! _Stop right there_!" The others in the rotunda- including Allison, who was coming back from dropping the kids off at school- all turned to see the former Head of Security holding a gun on one of their own. Too stunned to do anything, not a person moved, except the suspect Jo was focused on. The man turned to her, and she felt her breath catch.

Dr. Jason Hanson- Tam's exboyfriend. She'd broken up with him before Jo had left on her walkabout, and the bastard hadn't taken it well. Jo knew that he'd been abusing her, but Tam had denied it, giving every abused woman excuse in the book... _And look where it got you, Tammi._

She took a step towards him, gun still pointed. When she got close enough, she moved to grab her handcuffs- only to have him knock her gun out of her hands- before finding herself on the floor with a punch. Her breath was knocked out of her, and it took a few minutes for her to climb to her feet, but once she did, she was off, chasing after the scientist, disregarding Gibbs's orders. When Gibbs was finally able to get to her, she had the man cornered, her gun on him, and she'd given the man a severe beating, venting some of her pent up anger over her friend's death. As Gibbs got closer, Jo lowered her gun and gave the man a swift kick to the jaw.

"Agent Lupo!" She swore at the man in Hebrew; Gibbs needed to remind Ziva to stop influencing Jo, and allowed him to handcuff the suspect and hand him off to Tony and McGee, who'd followed. "What the hell was that?" Gibbs demanded, stepping towards her. She took a deep breath, turning to him.

"Nothing." She replied, following McGee and DiNozzo back to the rotunda. Once there, Ziva rushed to them, having taken witness statements in regards to Hanson. Neither noticed Fargo and Rowely coming up to them- having been alerted to the situation that had taken place in the rotunda. "Rule Sixty-Seven, Jo." Gibbs said, stopping her and making her face him. She sighed, knowing what was coming. "Do I have to spell it out for you?" He asked softly. Jo glanced at Ziva, and after a moment, caught Carter's eye, before swearing softly in Hebrew.

"_Ben Zonah_..." She met Gibbs' eye, and sighed, stuffing her hands in her pockets as she tipped her head back, saying, "Rule Sixty-Seven: Never let your temper take over the case."

"Or get in the way of catching a suspect." Ziva added, cocking her head. "Correct, Gibbs, yes?" A moment passed, before he slipped between the two female agents on his team, and made to go towards the director, when he stopped and turned back.

"Yes, Ziva, that's correct." He replied, hitting them both lightly on the back of the head. Both women lurched forwards slightly, before turning around to watch Gibbs take control of the situation.


	9. Chapter 9

**Rifiuto: Non Mirena**

"I... this is _my_ turf. I should be handling the interrogation." Carter muttered, following Allison and Fargo into the obeservation room. Allison glared at him.

"But Tamsen was a former Marine, Carter. Theoretically, this is NCIS's case." Carter groaned, entering the observation area, causing Ziva, Tony and McGee to turn.

"I hate that word!" He whined, as they all turned towards the questioning. Jo leaned against the wall, in the corner, twirling a pocket knife between her fingers, watching the man responsible for killing her best friend. Gibbs sat in the chair, staring at the doctor. He nervously looked around, eyes landing on Jo.

"Can you get her to stop playing with that thing?" Hanson asked, glancing at Gibbs. The older man shrugged, letting his gaze slip towards his adoptive niece.

"Wish I could, but I can't." Jo replied, crossing one foot over the other. "Rule number nine:" She said, pushing herself away from the wall and going towards the man. "Never go anywhere without a knife. His rule." She said, glancing at Gibbs. "And rule number ten:" She purred, leaning close to the man, laying both hands on the table in front of him. Her long dark hair was down around her shoulders in curls, a cascade of raspberry-scent raven silk, that brushed against the man's cheek as she leaned close. "When the oppertunity arises, use it." She growled softly in his ear, before pulling back and picking up her knife.

"Yours?" He asked, glancing at Gibbs, who shook his head.

"Hers." She turned back to face the two, the long-sleeved top she wore exposing a thin strip of stomach. Her jacket hung open on her frame, and after a moment, she removed it, draping it over the chair that Gibbs vacated. The older man pressed a kis to Jo's cheek, before leaving the room and joining the others in observation. Tony was the first to speak.

"What do you think she's going to do, Boss?" Gibbs sipped the coffee he'd gotten before the interrogation.

"It's up to her, DiNozzo." Carter turned back to the window. He'd seen Jo do interrogations before, and he knew that she didn't particularly like them.

* * *

"I didn't do anything to Tammi." Hanson said, glancing at Jo. She stayed silent. "I swear! I ran today when you pulled your gun on me, and then proceeded to beat me!"

"I gave you a taste of your own medicine," She replied softly.

"What are you talking about?" Jo raised her eyes to meet his.

"I did, what you had done to Tam when you were together-"

"I didn't do anything of the sort! I would never hit Tammi!" He cried, trying to stand. But before he could blink, he was face-to-face with the agent. Everyone except Gibbs seemed to jump as Jo leaped from her chair and onto the table, closing the gap between them, knife in hand and pressed against his throat. The man was shoved back into the chair, with Jo still on the table, dark curls obscuring her face from the others. However, her current position gave them all a good view of her ass, which Tony eagerly drank in- until Gibbs slapped him.

"You think I never saw the bruises you left on her body? The broken ribs, the internal injuries? I saw all of it- even though she tried to hide it from me. She was my best friend, and you took her away from me. You shot her and beat her and left her dead in the park. She was a marine, Hanson. Do you know what happens to marine killers?" She growled, grabbing the front of his shirt and pulling him closer. She briefly let her guard down, moved to let him go-

And found herself tumbling head over heels off the table. When she wasn't looking, he'd somehow gotten out of the handcuffs; right now, she was struggling to get up, and regain her balance. When she looked up next, he was gone. She reached up, feeling blood trickle from the cut on her forehead.

* * *

She headed to the cafe; after her disasterous interrogation, she'd all but shut down completely. Gibbs had given her the day off, telling her to get away from the case and take some time to calm down. So she'd put her headphones in and blasted her music, and now, was intent on a nice, steaming cup of coffee and a bagel. But before she could reach the doors, someone tapped her shoulder, and she turned, taking her headphones out of her ears. "Zane."

He gave her a soft smile, hands in his pockets. "I... I heard about what happened... I'm sorry you got hurt, Jojo." She shrugged.

"It's okay. Nothing major. I'm fine." He nodded.

"Good." They stood in silence for several minutes before Jo turned to go. Zane watched her for several minutes before acting on a whim. Like he'd done three years ago in Carter's office, he grabbed her arm, pulling her back to him. His lips caught hers before she could protest, and he wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close. It felt strange, feeling her small, lithe body in cargo pants and a t-shirt- something other than her famous powersuits. But, then again, if she was out in the field, powersuits were basically useless. Still, he missed the smooth black fabric and sharp jackets she used to wear. Finally, reluctantly, Jo pulled away, chest heaving, cheeks red.

"I... I gotta go." And without another word, she fled.

* * *

"You have... a very interesting approach to your team, Agent Gibbs." Carter said, sitting across from the older agent. He'd asked to speak with the man, leaving the other members of Gibs's team to go over the rest of the evidence. Gibbs shrugged, sipping his coffee.

"What is this about, Sheriff Carter?" He watched the other man sit back against his chair, twirling a pen between his fingers.

"Look, we can beat around the bush all we want, but we both know the reason between us, and it's not the case. It's Jo. Now, Agent Gibbs, I've known Jo a long time, and... I know that she doesn't belong with NCIS. She belongs here. In Eureka." Gibbs raised his eyebrows at Carter's blunt statement.

"Does she now?" He asked. "Because, General Mansfield told us that she wasn't appreciated here, that her talents were... squandered." Carter dropped the pen, shocked, but he quickly recovered.

"I know Mansfield has a bit of a grudge against Eureka- we've caused him more than enough grief over the years, but that does not give him the right to take our best Security Head from us, and Jo is our best." Gibbs chuckled softly.

"That she is." With a soft smile, he leaned forward. "Let me tell you something, Sheriff. I have known Jo before she was even born. I knew her parents, and I served with her father in the military. Her father James, asked me to look out for his little girl after he was gone- and I tried, but soon, she was snatched up and brought here. I've looked for her, for years, and now that I found her, I was going to make sure she was safe. And her being on my team means she's safe. I'm sorry, sheriff, but she's not coming back to Eureka when this case is over. She's going back to D.C., with the rest of my team, where she belongs." And then, Gibbs stood. "Now if you'll excuse me, we have a case to solve." The directness that Gibbs had used left Carter speechless.

* * *

Zane rubbed his eyes, trying to get the sleep tugging at him to leave. He was having no such luck; yet, even as his eyes were fighting sleep, his mind was running a million miles a minute, analyzing and overanalyzing the kiss he'd shared with Jo outside Cafe Diem. She'd kissed him back; he'd felt it. He'd felt her heart in her kiss, and he knew- he _knew_- that she belonged to him.

Now if he could just get her to see that NCIS wasn't the right place for her...

He looked up, at the sharp rap on his door. Turning the TV off, he made his way to the door, and slowly, pulled it open.

* * *

Jo knew she was making a mistake. Instead of heading back to the B&B, she'd skulked into Cafe Diem, taking a seat at a table in the back corner, where she could nurse her wounded ego in peace. So she sat, watching the other patrons engage in virtual karaoke, as she downed shot after shot of ouzo. By midnight, her gaze was swimming and she was more than a little unsteady on her feet. She dug her keys out of her bag, and, even though she knew driving drunk was a bad idea, she climbed behind the wheel of her car and drove off.

So that was how she found herself staring into Zane's eyes, before she reached out, taking his face in her hands and kissing him. They stumbled back; Jo kicked the door closed, peeling off her jacket at the same time. Once Zane had recovered, he pushed her away, long enough to ask, "Jo, are you-" But then he saw the glaze coating her eyes, the desire, need, and she returned her lips to his. By the time they made it back to the bedroom, Zane had given in completely to Jo's control.

His hands ran over her body, and both found that they still knew everything about each other- even years later. Even all these years later, Jo still knew Zane's body like the back of her hand, or like the blade of her favorite knife, the hilt of her favorite gun...

* * *

She awoke at four, and it took a few minutes before she realized that she wasn't in the B&B. An arm tightned around her, and she bolted upright. A pain shot through her head, and she pressed the heel of her hand to her forehead, wincing, as everything came back to her in full force. Whimpering softly, she climbed out of the bed, and gathered her clothes. Zane was sound asleep, and she moved around to his side of the bed. A part of her tugged and tugged, but she refused to lean down and press a kiss to his cheek. Instead, she turned and slipped out of the room, shutting the door softly behind her. Quickly, quietly, she dressed, before slipping out of the apartment.

Once inside her car, she took several deep breaths, telling herself that she hadn't just done what she had. That she hadn't slept with Zane. But the evidence was there, in her rumpled hair, in the pounding of her head, in the multiple bruises on her small body. As she started the car and drove off, she knew that the sooner they solved Tam's case and returned to D.C., the sooner she could forget about Zane, and all the pain he'd caused.

* * *

Ziva's head snapped up as Jo entered the room. "Where have you been? Answer me!" Ziva demanded, shooting to her feet. Jo leaned back against the door, grabbing her head and squeezing her eyes shut at her friend's sharp tone. "I thought you had returned last night, yet..." She stopped, taking in her partner's appearance. "You are just getting in." Jo slowly cracked open first one eye and then the other, nodding, as Ziva began to realize what Jo had been up to. "You were with a man." She accused, crossing her arms over her chest.

Jo's silence didn't deny nor confirm, though the state of her clothing told otherwise. A moment passed, before Ziva went to her partner, wrapping an arm around her waist and guiding her to the bed. They sat together on the edge, facing one another, and gently, Ziva reached up, brushing a tangled curl off Jo's forehead. Then, she helped Jo out of her jacket, catching sight of the bruises and bites on Jo's skin. In a hushed voice, she asked,

"What happened? Did he hurt you? Or is this... standard love-making techniques?" Jo swallowed, meeting her friend's eyes as tears filled her own. A moment passed, before she whispered,

"I messed up, Zi."

"How? How did you mess up?" Ziva asked, confused. Jo blinked, tears slipping down her cheeks. She shook her head, whispering,

"I slept with him... I slept with Zane..." It took a few minutes for Ziva to put the pieces together, but when she did,

"The... the man with the... bright blue eyes?" Jo nodded, fully breaking down. Quickly, Ziva wrapped her friend in a hug, holding her close.

"He's _my ex_... I'm supposed to be_ over_ him... it's not supposed to go like this..." Tears in her own eyes, Ziva pressed a kiss to Jo's tangled hair, letting her cry.


	10. Chapter 10

**Rifiuto: Non Mirena**

She refused to look at him. "Is he still staring?" Quickly, Ziva glanced over her shoulder, before turning back to Jo.

"Yes. Is that a problem?" Jo swallowed, crossing her arms on the table. She hadn't slept much- after Ziva returned to her own room, she'd slept in fits, before taking a shower and going for a run at six. It unnerved her that she could still take the same route she'd taken when she lived here, even though she hadn't been here for years. She'd gone to Cafe Diem after taking another shower and washing the grime off her body; Ziva had come in not ten minutes later, taking a seat beside her, and now, here they sat, waiting for the others in the team to show up, with Jo's ex sitting on the other side of the room, watching her. She nodded, sighing as Vincent set her coffee down in front of her.

"Yeah, Zi. It's a problem." The former Israeli nodded, taking a sip of the coffee Vincent had set in front of her earlier. "How could I do this? I don't have... hook ups that resume after an absence- especially a three-year one. I've royally screwed up, and I wouldn't be surprised if Gibbs removed me from the case."

"He is not going to remove you from the case, Jo." Ziva replied, snorting. "Gibbs does not care that you slept with... him." She said, giving up on trying to remember Zane's name. "He cares that you have done good work, and caught a killer." When Jo didn't meet her gaze, she leaned close, saying, "You do not have to place the music yet. Or at all."

Jo scoffed softly, not meeting her friend's eyes as she replied, "'Face the music,' Ziva. It's 'face the music' and yes, I do." And with that, she climbed off the stool, squaring her shoulders and making her way towards Zane. Ziva turned on her stool, cocking her head to the side and watching closely. By the time Jo stopped at Zane's table, she'd run through every scenario possible in her head- and come up empty when their eyes locked.

"So you finally decide to face me, Jojo?" He asked, sitting back in his chair. Jo crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at him. "You know, it was pretty low- you leaving in the morning without telling me?"

"I didn't need to tell you anything. We aren't involved anymore. I don't even live here. The only reason I'm here is to solve my best friend's murder, and put the dirtbag that did this to her behind bars. This doesn't have anything to do with either you or I." Zane raised his eyebrows.

"Really?" She nodded. "Because, from where I'm sitting, it has everything to do with us. With what happened when you left and didn't return." She rolled her eyes, turning to leave, when he sprang to his feet and grabbed her wrist. Instantly, everyone in the cafe braced for a new round in the infamous Lupo-Donovan war that had been at a permanent truce since Jo had left. She glanced at his hand, before yanking away, but he pulled her closer, until they stood nose to nose. "Don't deny it, Jojo. What happened last night was real, for both of us. You felt it, just as much as I did. That spark of ours... it never died. And it never will." And without another word, he leaned down and kissed her.

She pushed against him, but he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close, until she began to melt into his kiss-

"About damn time!" Instantly, Jo pulled away, chest heaving and mouth dry, as she stared at Zane. Slowly, she turned, to see Carter and Gibbs standing in the doorway of Cafe Diem; Carter was clapping and grinning so big she thought his face would split in two. Gibbs- along with McGee, Tony, Ziva and everyone else- was silent, at the display of affection shared between the former Head of Security and the Head of Section Five.

"Gibbs... it's not what it looks like..." She stammered, going to her boss. He held up a hand, and she instantly straightened; her Army training kicked back in and she waited for him to chew her out. Instead, he stepped close, and after a moment, slapped her in the back of the head. She jumped, thinning her lips.

"Rule Number Ten, Jo." He whispered, and she swallowed.

"Never get personally involved in a case." She whispered.

"And that includes the people you used to know." He added. "Come on." And gently, Gibbs slipped his arm around her waist, leading her and the others out of the cafe, leaving Zane and everyone else shocked.

* * *

The team had been allowed use of Fargo's office while they went over the list of those who worked at GD. Fargo, who had wanted to watch Jo in her new habitat stood at the window, leaning against the railing. So far, nothing much had been going on, when suddenly,

"Campfire."

Instantly, Fargo watched as the moveable chairs in his office were moved to the middle of the room, and the five members of the NCIS team gathered together, running over various scenarios. He noticed how they all leaned in, contributing to the various possiblities or giving out new ones. Silent, Fargo watched, noticing how Jo seemed to open up more around the team; more than she ever had around their closeknit group here in Eureka. He found himself examining his former coworker and friend's behavior.

She sat back, crossing her arms over her chest as they talked, before jumping onto Gibbs' idea.

"I will do it." The others all turned to her. It was then that Fargo moved closer, leaning against his desk so he could hear everything.

"Jo, you don't have-" But Jo held up a hand, silencing the silver-haired man. She took a deep breath, glancing quickly around the small group, before her eyes landed on Rowley, who leaned against the far wall, arms crossed over her chest as she watched them.

"Yes, I do, Gibbs. He..." She stalled, swallowing thickly to hide the tears in her voice. "He killed Tammi. If anyone's going to confront him, it's going to be me." She glanced at Rowley again, by now, had pushed herself away from the wall. "Campfire adjourned."

As they ended the small meeting, Rowley strode towards her best friend, grabbing her arm and yanking her into the elevator. The others watched as the woment turned to one another; eventually, they heard the elevator stop. "What happened?" Fargo asked.

"Jo stopedped the elevator." Tony said, glancing at Gibbs.

* * *

_"What the hell is wrong with you, Josie?" _Rowley demanded, turning on her best friend once the elevator had stopped moving. Neither knew that both Tony and Fargo were standing at the doors, listening intently. "Playing the decoy to Jason Hanson? You know how dangerous he is! Or have you forgotten the beating he gave you when you tried to break up a fight between him and Tam?"

Jo turned from her friend, going and leaning against the wall. She didn't look at her, didn't speak, just crossed her arms over her chest. Eventually,

"If you remember, I gave him just as good as he gave me." Rowley rolled her eyes. "I'm going after him, even if I have to kill him in the process, Gwen. He's not going to get away with what he did. Tam deserves better than that."

"So you're just going to be another notch in his belt, Josie? Is that it? Another one of the dozen he's killed over the years? Do you have a _fuckin' death wish_?" Silence filled the car; Fargo knew that silence well, he'd been on the recieving end of one of Jo's silences for years. And then, before anyone could blink, something slammed into the other side of the car.

"This is something I need to do, Gwen! I have to catch that bastard before he hurts someone else! I am not going to let him get away with killing Tammi! I'm not going to let him do it to anyone else-"

"You are _not superwoman_, Jo! You _cannot save everyone_ on the planet!" Gwen replied, shaking Jo violently by the shoulders.

"I'm not trying to, Gwen! I'm just trying to bring Tammi's killer to justice!"

"Maybe you two need-" The two stopped, turning to the door.

_"Shut up, Fargo!"_

* * *

"Ducky?" The old doctor looked up from Blythe's body to see Jo standing in the doorway of the morgue. Slowly, Ducky removed his gloves as Jo entered the room, the door sliding closed behind her.

"Ah, Josefina, I was wondering when you would come visit." One look at her face and he was by her side; he sat her down on a stool before joining her on his own. "Something is on your mind, Josefina, my dear. It helps to get things off your chest." She took a deep breath, before whispering,

"Everything's gone to hell, Ducky. My best friend was murdered, we're investigating her murder, I'm back in the same small town I left three years ago, and..." She swallowed, struggling to hide the tears in her voice. "I... I slept with my ex-boyfriend." Ducky reached out, taking her hand. "I'm supposed to be over him. I'm not supposed to feel this way about him anymore!"

"What way, Josefina, dear?" Ducky asked calmly. She sniffled.

"It's just... being back here... it's just brought everything back up. All the crap I'd left behind, all the people... it's brought it all back... this reminds me of why I left in the first place..." Gently, Ducky reached up, brushing a tear off her cheek. "I don't... I don't know anymore. I don't... I just... I need to get away. I need to catch Tam's killer and then get the hell back to D.C., before..." Ducky waited, but she shook his head, giving him a watery smile.

"Before what, dear?" She shook her head.

"Nothing. Thank you, Ducky. For listening." And then, she got up, giving him a hug, before turning to go. She stopped, at the sight of Tam on the autopsy table. She bit her lip, asking, "Can I... have a minute?" Ducky nodded, squeezing her shoulder.

* * *

Once Ducky was gone, Jo pulled up a stool and took a seat beside the autopsy table. She reached out, taking Tam's hand. Her skin was cold, pale, not a flicker of life resided in her; a small part of Jo had been hoping that her friend had been playing a prank on her-

"Hey Tammi." She sniffled. "I... I'm sorry. I'm sorry I wasn't here for you. I'm sorry I left. I'm sorry that I didn't come back." She choked out a sob, shaking her head, so absorbed in the moment that she didn't hear the doors to the morgue slide open. "I should have come back... to you, to Zane... I should have told him I loved him, that I... that I still love him... and I always will... I should never have joined NCIS... I should have been here; I could have protected you. I could have... I could have stopped this... stopped him. When we were kids, we always promised to have each others' backs and protect each other, and I failed. I failed you, Tammi. And I'm so sorry._ I'm so, so sorry_." She broke down then, turning when the intruder laid his hand on her shoulder. She stood and wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder.

Zane held her; having heard everything, he had no idea how to process it. So instead, he kept quiet, holding her and letting her cry.


	11. Chapter 11

**Rifiuto: Non Mirena**

"Are you sure you want to do this, Jo? I can go in your place." Ziva said, as she finished attaching the wire to her friend's clothing. Jo nodded.

"I'm sure, Ziva. I_ have_ to do this. I have to catch the bastard that did this to Tamsen. I won't be able to live with myself if I don't." When the last adjustments were made, she turned to Gibbs.

"If you need anything-"

"I know, Jethro. I'll be fine. I've done undercover work before." But she could see the fear in his eyes; the promise her father had forced him to keep on his deathbed. He wasn't going to break it, especially not now. A moment passed, before he pressed a firm kiss to her forehead. Her eyes closed instinctively.

"Be safe." She nodded, pulling her coat around her and tieing it before glancing back at her friends and leaving the B&B. She black blazer closer, tossing her hair over her shoulder. If she was going to catch this guy, it was better for her to be seen in civilian clothes than in her NCIS uniform or he'd never talk. It had been so long since she'd worn a powersuit- because they weren't recquired at work, where cargos and sneakers took precidence due to being in the field the majority of the time- and it felt strange, wearing her familiar attire. After climbing into her car, she quickly checked her makeup and tightened her ponytail before heading into town.

* * *

"All right, he usually spends his nights at karaoke- at least, from what Vincent's told me." She said, stepping into the cafe.

"What is karaoke?" Ziva asked; they could see the crowd on the screen, from the small camera embedded in her necklace, and before Jo could open her mouth, she felt strong arms wrap around her from behind.

"Jo! My god! It's so good to see you again!" She turned; Zoe Carter stood behind her, wide grin on her face.

"Zoe! What are you doing here?" She asked, genuinely surprised.

"I just got in; here on break from graduate school. I... I heard about Tamsen. I'm sorry, Jo." Jo nodded, giving her a small smile. "What are you doing here? Dad said that you didn't return from your walkabout-"

"I moved to D.C., and..." She swallowed. How much should she tell? She bit her lip, thinking. "I work for NCIS-"

"NCIS?" Zoe's brow furrowed, confused. Jo nodded.

"Naval Criminal Investigative Service. That's why I'm here. We're... investigating Tam's murder, because she was a marine..." Zoe nodded, before grabbing Vincent's arm as he passed behind the counter.

"I know! Why don't you perform! Maybe it'll take your mind off the case-" Jo paled, shaking her head, as she saw Carter talking with Allison and Zane near the door. She had a sneaking suspicion that the sheriff was behind this. "Oh come on, Jo, for old times' sake?" She heard the hint at another timeline, another life that they'd lived before the timeline shift, and quickly glanced around, spotting Hanson in the crowd. She had a choice to make- back out, or actually go through with it and catch the guy. When she looked up, Vincent had set a cup of ouzo in front of her.

"Your usual, Jo?" Just as she was about to protest, Hanson moved closer, grabbing a cup of coffee. He glanced at Jo, nodding to her; the familiar, friendly atmosphere of Vincent's karaoke night was enough for her to also loosen up and nod in return. Once he was gone, Jo quickly grabbed the cup and downed the alcohol, slamming it on the counter.

"Hit me again."

* * *

"Jo's gonna sing?" Tony whistled. "This outta be interesting."

"So you are right before Dr. Hanson. Okay, Jo?" She nodded, as Zoe shoved her into the bathroom to get dressed.

"Did you hear that, Jo?" Gibbs asked, watching the screen as she quickly changed. "Hanson is right after you, so you have to peform in order for him to stick around." She nodded.

"Yeah, I heard. I just... hate singing." She muttered, exiting the bathroom once she was dressed.

"She looks so hot in that-" Tony stopped, at the feel of Gibbs's hand on the back of his head. They'd caught a brief shot of her in "costume" before she left the bathroom- a pair of form-fitting blue jeans and a low-cut, deep red strapless shirt; the back dipped low, revealing a good slice of her back, and the front showed just a hint of her ample cleavage. She had on a pair of black heeled boots, and a black leather jacket. Before she officially left the bathroom, she yanked the tie from her hair; long, black, silky locks tumbled down her back in a cascade of curls, swept over and parted on the left.

She made it out to the small stage; Zoe already had a microphone ready for her. She glanced at the college student, asking, "Do I _really_ have to do this?"

"You'll do great, Jo! Just relax and have fun!" Zoe replied, pushing her towards the stage.

"Break a leg, Jo. Remember, focus on Hanson." Gibbs said, eyes trained on the screen in the B&B. She grabbed the microphone, as the music to Demi Lovato's _Heart Attack _began. Seriously, a pop song? Okay, so what if it applied to her and Zane? There was no way she was going to relax singing to a pop song.

Her gaze shifted around the room, before landing on Carter, Zane and Allison. Her voice started out soft, before gaining in strength; God, it had been years since she'd sung.

_"Puttin' my defences up_  
_'Cause I don't wanna fall in love_  
_If I ever did that_  
_I think I'd have a heart attack_

_Never put my love out on the line_  
_Never said yes to the right guy_  
_Never had trouble getting what I want_  
_But when it comes to you, I'm never good enough_  
_When I don't care_  
_I can play 'em like a Ken doll_  
_Won't wash my hair_  
_Then make 'em bounce like a basketball"_

It took time, but eventually, she began to loosen up and have fun; the six shots of ouzo most likely had something to do with it, but a big part of it, she knew, was due to Zane. Just being in his presence again set her heart on edge; looking into his eyes made her stomach knot; all the feelings she'd managed to push down and keep hidden were suddenly floating to the surface, exposing the raw shell she'd been underneath. Suddenly, she found that the song described everything that she'd gone through with Zane-

The proposal, the sneaking around, the 'maybe' relationship, the constant fights and arguements, the make ups and breakups, the sleepless nights when they became one. She was a teenager again, experiencing her first crush, shy and uncertain, yet with a world of possibilites at her feet. She let the music take control, let it possess her in ways she never thought of. She felt sexy, seductive; the kind of woman who could get men to do her bidding with a smirk and a wink. She reached up, tangling her fingers in her own dark curls, realizing for the first time that she felt... free.

_"But you make me wanna act like a girl_  
_Paint my nails and wear high heels_  
_Yea you, make me so nervous_  
_That I just can't hold your hand_

_You make me glow, but I cover up_  
_Won't let it show, so I'm_  
_Puttin' my defences up_  
_Cause I don't wanna fall in love_  
_If I ever did that_  
_I think I'd have a heart attack"_

All this time, and suddenly, being back in the place she'd called home for years, brought everything back to the surface, and it felt as though she really were about to have a heart attack. And that kiss... and the night they'd slept together... all of it... bubbling under the surface until it was likely to explode in their faces. Like it had done in the past; when she'd hesitated at his proposal, when she'd dropped out of the running for the Astreaus...

She was bound to hurt him, because that's what she did.

Gibbs and the rest of the team sat in the room at the B&B, speechless at the sight of Jo, letting loose and enjoying herself. Tony raised his eyebrows and whistled in soft appreciation. "Damn, the girl can sing and dance._ Nice._ We've got a regular Ginger on our team, Boss. Now all we need is Fred." Gibbs stayed silent; he'd seen this side of Jo- a little girl in pigtails and pink tutus, dancing for her parents, performing for them, entertaining them...

Tony didn't know the half of it.

_"Never break a sweat for the other guys_  
_When you come around, I get paralyzed_  
_And everytime I try to be myself_  
_It comes out wrong like a cry for help_  
_It's just not fair_  
_Pain's more trouble than love is worth_  
_I gasp for air_  
_It feels so good, but you know it hurts"_

Zane glanced at Carter and Allison. "Did you-" Carter shrugged.

"I may have told Zoe to talk her into it." He replied, a grin slowly appearing on his face. Allison chuckled softly.

"She's very good. Isn't she, Zane?" The woman glanced at him, seeing the look on his face; it was a look she'd seen on Carter's face before- he was falling in love with her, all over again. Falling in love with the woman who'd broken his heart when she left Eureka.

Slowly, Zane nodded, turning back to his former girlfriend. She looked so comfortable up onstage, dancing and singing along to the music. Not once, had her gaze wavered from his, and he felt his heart skip a beat. A moment passed before he moved to the front of the crowd, watching her closely. He stopped next to Dr. Hanson, who too, stood mesmerized by the former Head of Security as she let loose and enjoyed herself for once.

It was a side of Jo many of them had never seen. But Zane... Zane had seen it, and he loved it.

_"But you make me wanna act like a girl_  
_Paint my nails and wear perfume_  
_For you, make me so nervous_  
_That I just can't hold your hand_

_You make me glow, but I cover up_  
_Won't let it show, so I'm_  
_Puttin' my defences up_  
_Cause I don't wanna fall in love_  
_If I ever did that_  
_I think I'd have a heart attack"_

Briefly, her gaze flicked to Hanson; he hadn't taken his eyes off her since she walked onstage. Her insides squirmed, she knew the type; they moved on as quickly as possible from one relationship to the next. Zane had been like that, before she came into the picture. But this guy- not only had he been possessive of Tam, he'd also gone after both Hertz and Rowley, and had eyed her while they were still together. Jo was the prey he'd never been able to get his hands on, and she could see that he was itching to get his hands on her now. Desperately. Internally, as her heart began to skip a beat, she knew that the only way to get him to confess to killing Tamsen was to let him get his hands on her. Alone.

Taking a deep breath, she moved towards the doctor, giving him a small, seductive smile as she got close. Zane watched her flirt with the man, surprised that she would actually go for a man like Dr. Hanson, and not him.

They'd slept together, for God's sake! He and Jo were meant to be, how could she not_ see_ that?

_"The feelings got lost in my lungs_  
_They're burning, I'd rather be numb_  
_And there's no one else to blame_  
_So scared I take off and I run_  
_I'm flying too close to the sun_  
_And I burst into flames"_

She grabbed Hanson by his shirt, pulling him towards her, giving him a seductive smile before standing and going back to the stage. Everyone in Cafe Diem stood watching her with open mouths and wide eyes. And she had to admit, it felt fun, breaking the perfect veneer she'd worn all those years in this town. Only those on Gibbs's team had ever seen her truly loosen up like this; she trusted them, loved them. Like she'd once loved everyone in Eureka.

Her gaze flicked to Zane, and as their eyes locked, her heart began to pound. She could feel herself, doing just as the song talked about preventing. She felt herself falling in love with Zane, all over again.

_"You make me glow, but I cover up_  
_Won't let it show, so I'm_  
_Puttin' my defences up_  
_'Cause I don't wanna fall in love_  
_If I ever did that_  
_I think I'd have a heart attack_  
_I think I'd have a heart attack_  
_I think I'd have a heart attack"_

She ended the song to thunderous applause; as she jumped off the stage area, she glanced towards Zoe, who was giving her a huge thumbs up. She grinned at her friend in return.

* * *

Zane searched for her, scanning every face, before finally spotting her. Taking a deep breath, he moved towards her, only to stop at the sight of Hanson whispering something in her ear. The cameras the team had placed in the cafe captured the exchange, and Jo blushed, laughing at something Hanson said. Obviously, he'd forgiven her for trying to kill him; then again, maybe the outfit had something to do with it. Both Gibbs in the B&B, and Zane in the cafe, clenched their fists as they watched Hanson shift his hand from the exposed skin at the small of her back to the firm curve of her ass. After a moment, he took Jo's hand, leadng her out of the cafe. She glanced back towards Zane, throwing him a small smile as they left. "Jo!"

But she and Hanson were gone.


	12. Chapter 12

**Rifiuto: Non Mirena**

She laughed; the sound echoing in the dark night as she and Hanson walked down the darkened street. She still had her earpiece in and on, and the wire attached to her clothing, but other than that, she possessed no weapon, no backup, no way to protect herself other than her skills.

"Look, Dr. Hanson, I'm... I'm sorry. About-" He waved it away.

"No worries, Lupo. It's understandable. Tammi just died. We're all going through a tough time now." She nodded, glancing down as he boldly took her hand in his. A fleeing moment of panic flashed in her eyes, but she brushed it off. She'd get the confession she needed, and then be out of there, no harm, no foul.

Except when they turned off Coriolis Loop and headed towards the skate park. The only light was that of the moon, and she shivered, wrapping her arms around herself. Taking a deep breath, she took a seat on one of the benches the skaters often used, trying to ignore the feel of Hanson's arm going around her shoulders. Slowly, she extracted herself from the embrace, scooting further away.

"I really am sorry, I never should have-" But before she could continue, his mouth was on hers, and he was working on trying to remove her clothing. She pushed him away, looking up at him in disgust. Ducky's words came back to her, screaming in her head.

_You friend was sexually assaulted before she was shot. She fought back, but it was forced._

"Do you know how long I've wanted to get my hands on you, Jo?" Her dark eyes blazed as he advanced, slowly, before grabbing her head and forcing his lips on hers. For the sake of the operation, she accepted the kiss, wishing it were Zane's lips on hers instead. When he pulled away, he grinned at her, grabbing her around the waist and pulling her into his lap. "I have wanted you from the moment we met. From the moment I met Tamsen-" Jo pushed him away, scrambling off his lap and backing up.

"Then why did you-"

"The only way I could get to you was through her. That little blonde was nothing but an annoyance; I only put up with her as long as I had to."

"And then she broke it off, and you decided to kill her. 'If I can't have you, no one can', right?" She asked, eyes trained on his jacket. She knew he was hiding something, and if it was some sort of weapon, she'd be screwed.

"She wasn't the one I wanted, but I had to put up with her. I knew Tamsen was a former marine, and I know that NCIS deals with naval crimes."

"So you knew I was part of NCIS?" She asked, confused as to where she fit into the equation. He shook his head, chuckling.

"No. I knew that you'd come down for the funeral; finding out you work for NCIS was just the icing on the cake, really." Jo stumbled, righting herself after a moment.

"What do you want with me?" He shook his head, his eyes moving up and down her figure, taking in the curve of her waist, the slenderness of her waist. She turned, moving around a portion of the ramp, sliding down into the pit and taking cover in a corner. "Gibbs? Did you get that?"

"Jo? Yeah, we got it. We've also got your coordinates-" He stopped, hearing the door slam shut. They turned; Ziva had disappeared. "Shit! Ziva just left. She's mostly likely going to find you, Jo. Stay there and keep him talking!"

* * *

She took a deep breath. She'd heard the click of the hammer as she'd rushed off; she could hear him pacing above her, waiting for her to come out. "You don't know?" He shouted. "I want you. I've always wanted you. Ever since Tamsen introduced us. I knew that the best way to get to you would be through her, and once I had you here, I had no need for Tamsen." He stopped, and Jo swallowed, stepping out to check if he'd left.

She had no sight of Hanson on the rim above her; she turned. He stood behind her, holding his gun on her. "So you killed her. But Tam fought back. You sexually assaulted her and then shot her in the chest before once in the head. You killed my best friend out of anger." He shook his head.

"No. I killed her to get you down here. Once I got you down here, well, I thought my plan was complete- until I saw you kiss that jackass, Donovan. He doesn't deserve a woman like you- the way he treats the female race? Despicable."

"Like the way _you_ treat women?" She shot back. She could hear Gibbs barking orders to her in her ear, but she didn't have the time to answer, as she felt cool metal slice through her.

_"Jo! Jo, can you hear me?"_ She looked up at him, grasping at her abdomen, as blood soaked the red shirt she wore and dripped over her hands.

"If I can't have you, no one can." He growled. Jo watched him walk away, hearing Gibbs's frantic cries in her ear, but unable to reply.

"_Jo! Josefina! Answer me!"_

* * *

It took her several minutes to figure out where Jo was. Though she'd been in America years now, she'd never been to a skate park, nor did she know what it was exactly. She shouldn't have left, but she had to find Jo. She was her partner, her best friend. It was her job to look out for Jo, just as it was Jo's job to look out for her. As she neared the skating area, she caught sight of someone rushing from the scene, and instantly drew her gun, firing as she called out to them. The person went down, and once she got close, she pulled out her handcuffs, realizing who it was. "Where is she? Where's Jo?"

"You're too late, agent. If I can't have her-" But Ziva didn't bother waiting around the hear the rest. She rushed towards the skate ditches, looking around. Sliding down the nearest, she searched, finally seeing the dark splatters against the pavement. With a quick yank of her flashlight, she realized it was blood. And leading from the blood-

"Jo!" Ziva dropped to her knees, quickly feeling for a pulse; it was weak, but there. At the sight of the bullet wound, she quickly pressed her hands to gaping hole in her friend's abdomen, staring into her face. "Open your eyes, Jo. Come on, _ahuvati_, do not do this to me. Do not do this to me, sweetheart! Come on!" She pressed hard on the wound, ignoring the blood staining her fingers. Jo's dark eyes opened, and she gave a weak laugh, meeting Ziva's gaze.

"I have been shot before, _Ziver_." She whispered, using Gibbs's nickname for the former Israeli. "I even... had a... bullet from the nineteen-forties appear in my chest... once, a long time ago. I survived that..."

"And you will survive this, _ahuvati_." Ziva whispered softly, reaching out and brushing a strand of hair off her friend's cheek. "You will survive this. I know you will." Jo slowly shook her head. "_Ken_, Josefina. You will." As Jo started to shake her head again, she whispered, "Yes, Jo. You're strong. You'll get through this. You'll survive, like you have before."

Jo slowly reached up, taking Ziva's arm. "Take care of... Gibbs for me." The other woman shook her head. She thought she heard the sound of car wheels drive up and voices calling out to them, but she couldn't be sure. And the last thing she wanted to do was leave Jo to bleed to death while she went to check.

"Don't you dare leave me, Josefina! You leave me alone, I'll have to deal with Tony and McGee all by myself, and I'd kill them before the work day even started." She felt tears begin to prick her eyes, and couldn't help as they slid down her cheeks. Gently, Jo reached up, brushing the tear away.

"Jo! Ziva!" Ziva's head snapped up.

_"Gibbs! Over here!"_


	13. Chapter 13

**Rifiuto: Non Mirena**

_"What happened to her?"_ Allison demanded. She hated being called into work on the evenings when it revolved around life-threatening injuries. Especially when it concerned a close friend of hers. No matter what had happened in the Matrix or where Jo had gone, she was still a friend, and needed to be saved.

"She was shot." Ziva choked out, swiping at her nose as she followed Allison and the nurses into the infirmary. "I found her in the skate park, I tried to stop the bleeding..." She stopped, gesturing at the blood coating her hands and jacket.

"We'll take it from here, Ms. David." Allison reassured her, hurrying into surgery. Ziva watched the doors slide shut, before dropping into one of the chairs in the waiting area. It was then that she noticed how pristine and beautiful the building actually was. All sleek lines and modern colors. So different from the buildings in Tel Aviv, and the offices in D.C. She hadn't been waiting long, before a familiar voice entered into her space.

"Mind if I join you?" She looked up; he looked familiar, but she couldn't place his name at the moment. She'd seen him around, she knew that, but where?

"No. Please, sit." He took a seat beside her, raking a hand through his black hair. "Do you... know Jo?" She asked, turning to him. He started, surprised.

"Um... I know... I... yes. I know Jojo very well." Ziva narrowed her eyes, before,

"You are Zane! You are the man Jo has been trying to forget!" He nodded, cringing. He knew that his ex had been avoiding him, but he hadn't known that she'd been deliberately trying to avoid him. A moment passed, before he nodded.

"Yes, I'm Zane. I-"

"Do you love her?" Zane's jaw dropped in surprise as Ziva turned to him and let the question spew from her mouth. The young Israeli waited, searching his blue eyes for signs that he was lying. "It is a simple question, do you love her? Do you love Jo?"

Moments passed, moments filled with tense silence as Zane gathered his thoughts. He watched Ziva, saw how she waited for his answer. It was almost like she were waiting for him to grow two heads and start spewing toads. He saw the tears in her eyes, watched as the blood- Jo's blood- dried on her clothes- and after struggling with what he was thinking, he whispered,

"Yes. I... I do. I do love her. Always have. Always will." Ziva nodded, reaching out to take his hand and give it a soft squeeze.

"Do you know why she left?" He looked at her. "Left this place? It's beautiful." Zane sighed.

"She said, that she needed to find herself. To... figure things out. To... decide if she really..." He swallowed. "Belonged in Eureka or not. She... she never came back." Ziva nodded.

"Because she joined NCIS." Zane's head snapped up.

"What?"

"She... Gibbs recruited her. Told us that she was going to join the team. He knows her. In some way, he knows her; there is... a bigger bond between them than there is between Gibbs and I. He treats her like... the daughter he lost. He loves all of us, but... but he loves Jo most of all." She glanced at Zane, who sighed.

"When she came back... we'd been in a... a stand-still, in regards to our relationship. But... but without her here... for these last few years... I can't live without her."

"You are _b'sheirts_." Zane turned to her, confusion in his bright blue eyes. He opened his mouth to speak, before closing his mouth and thinking. Ziva watched the confusion flash in his eyes, as he struggled to figure out what the word meant. She chuckled softly.

"It is Hebrew, for soulmates." She clarified, reaching out to take his hand. "The way Jo looks at you... it is very clear you are soulmates. She says that she has forgotten you, moved on, but... in her eyes... she has not." They sat in silence for several minutes, before she continued. "Jo and I... we have gotten to be the best of friends since she joined the team. She has told me more than once that I am the sister she never had. I cannot imagine my life without her in it. Without any of the team in it. They are my family, and so is Jo."

Zane swallowed. It was hard for him to hear. He hadn't looked at another woman the way he'd looked at Jo since she'd walked back into Eureka, and he knew that he never would again. She was his, and he was hers. No doubt.

The soft sound of Allison clearing her throat caused them both to look up. Zane swallowed, seeing the amount of blood on her scrubs, but she gave them both a reassuring smile. Ziva was on her feet instantly. "How is she? May we see her?"

"She's just gotten out of surgery, you can see her in a few minutes." The older woman bit her lip, before continuing. "We were very lucky you found Jo when you did, Ms. David." She noticed the others in the NCIS team rushing towards them, but continued on. "The bullet broke in half; part of it went clean through, and the other half remained lodged in her abdomen. It took us a while, but we managed to pull it out of her. She lost a lot of blood, we needed to perform several transfusions, but thanks to you, Agent David, she didn't lose any more than she already had. You kept her from bleeding out completely. If you hadn't gotten there when you did, she wouldn't be here." Ziva nodded.

"Yes, yes, that is all very nice, but can we see her?" She turned, when Gibbs laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Calm down, Ziver." He whispered, meeting her eyes. She nodded, swallowing, and turned back to Allison.

"Please, can we see her?" A moment passed, before Allison nodded, leading the small group into the infirmary. They followed her to a bed, where Jo lay, facing away from them. Gently, Allison laid a hand on her friend's knee, shaking her gently.

"Jo, you have visitors." The woman's eyes snapped open, and she took a deep breath, her chest hurt with each inhale. Memories of waking up after having a mysterious bullet in her chest removed flooded back to her, and she slowly turned to meet Allison's eyes. Gibbs stepped up to the bed, eyes sweeping over his second youngest agent, the woman he looked on as a daughter, and internally, he began to shake, at the realization of how pale she was, how weak. Though Jo would never admit nor show it, she was drained from both the shooting and the surgery.

"Have another present for me, Allison? A Winchester bullet, maybe? Or a musket ball?" She chuckled softly, wincing in pain. Allison's eyes clouded over, but she gave Jo a small smile as she sat beside the bed and took her friend's pulse.

"You mean like the Aviation Tracer bullet I pulled from your chest nearly five years ago?" The good doctor replied. The others on Gibbs' team just shared confused looks, while Zane and the other Eurekians- who'd just arrived- nodded in understanding. A moment passed, before Allison reached out, taking Jo's hand. "Jo," She swallowed, struggling to think of something to say. "You lost a substantial amount of blood. We're going to have to keep you for the next couple days, while you build up your strength." Jo shook her head.

"No. I... I have to catch that bastard Hanson-" She pushed herself up, but Allison and a nurse quickly helped lower her back to the bed.

"He's already in custody, Jo. We just need to get him to admit to the murder-" Tony started.

"He already did." She took a deep breath, wincing, and turned to Ziva.

"You got the... the wire I wore, right, Iva?" She asked. The former Israeli nodded. "He admitted to killing Tam... so he could get to me."

"That bastard's had his eye on all four of us for years- tried getting ahold of each of us at one time or another." Hertz replied, taking a seat at the foot of her bed. Rowley nodded, remembering. She shivered. "The things I'd like to do to that asshat-"

"Like hang him by his toes and beat his head until the blood burst from his ears?" Jo asked; the other two girls chuckled.

"Something like that." Jo stiffened, her eyes flashing towards Zane, before turning back to Allison.

"Can I go, Allison? Please, I swear I'm fine. I'll be-" She moved to get up, kicking the blankets away and moving to climb to her feet.

"No! Gotcha." She looked up into Zane's blue eyes, as he helped her back into the bed.

"Jo, you just had major surgery. You aren't going anywhere tonight. Or tomorrow night. Or the next night if I can help it." Allison warned.

"I'm not the Head of Security anymore, Allison, you can't tell me what to do." Jo replied, pushing Zane away and moving to stand again. Allison's firm hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"I know. I know that, Jo. I also know that you are stubborn. But so am I, and if I have to restrain you to this bed to let your body heal, then I will restrain you." Jo lay back, swallowing.

"Fine. But I'm not happy about it." She met Zane's gaze. "And you, this whole passive-agressive thing is really annoying." His eyebrows shot up.

"Oh, I'm passive-agressive?" He demanded, leaning down to meet her gaze. The others instantly busied themselves with conversation, all watching out of the corner of their eyes.

"You want to try just agressive, then?" She asked.

"Don't tempt me, Jojo." He whispered, pressing a kiss to her lips before pulling away.


	14. Chapter 14

**Rifiuto: Non Mirena**

_Two Days Later..._

"That's it! We got it all, we are outta here!" McGee slammed the doors on the car, and turned to the others. "What do you say? Food before we go?" Jo chuckled, glancing at Ziva.

"_Aruxat tzohorayeem_?" Ziva grinned, excited to try something new at Cafe Diem- or, as Ziva called it, the "everything diner."

"What did she say?" Tony asked, as the two women turned.

"Jo asked Ziva if lunch sounded good, DiNozzo. Get the wax out of your ears." Gibbs replied, leading the team into the cafe.

"_Ken_. Race you?" And she took off running. Jo threw down her pack, chasing after her friend.

"No fair! You got a head start!" Ziva slid to a halt in the doorway of the cafe, causing Jo to slam into her. Once they were all seated and their orders had been placed, the team settled into happy chatter. Eventually though,

"Jo?" She turned, finding Zane standing beside her. "Can we talk? Privately?" A moment passed, before Jo got up, following him out of the cafe.

"I wonder what they're talking about." Ziva mused, watching her friend step out to the small patio area outside the cafe.

"I don't know. I don't like to pry in people's private affairs." Vincent said, setting down her coffee.

"Since when?" Carter asked; the other Eurekians had joined the NCIS team for lunch, chatting and becoming good friends, with their common link being Jo.

* * *

"What did you want to talk about, Zane?" She asked, once they'd reached the end of the patio area. She crossed her arms over her chest, meeting his gaze. He sighed, taking in the clothing she wore- the beige cargos, the dark red long-sleeved shirt over the white lace tank, the black boots and the part over the right side of her head, long black curls tumbling over her shoulder.

"Jo..." A moment passed, before he reached out, taking her hands. "Do you have to go back to D.C.? You have nothing there-"

"I have my team, my job- Zane, they are my_ mishpacha_."

His brow furrowed, blue eyes sparking with curiosity. A twinge of whistfulness came over her, and she gave him a small smile, reaching up to trace his jawline, before stopping herself. "Your what?" She pulled her hands away, stuffing them in her pockets.

"Family, Zane. NCIS is my family. I... I feel more connected with them than I ever felt here. I know what I can do, and I'm good at it. I'm a good field agent. I'm a good investigator. I'm good at... at being an NCIS agent. I a part of a team, Zane."

"You were part of a team here, too." She swallowed, shaking her head.

"No, I wasn't. I was more outsider than team member." He reached out, pulling her into his arms.

"Jo, you were part of the team. You were mine, and I was yours. I am yours. I belonged to you; I've _always_ belonged to you, Jojo. Any timeline, any universe, anywhere. Don't you understand? We belong together- you and I. It was written in the stars-" She pulled away as he reached up to cradle her face.

"No, Zane-" But he grabbed her head, pulling her in for a kiss. As his lips drank her in, he slowly wrapped his arms around her waist; her arms moved around his neck, and they became lost in the kiss. It felt as though they were saying goodbye at the Astreaus launch once again, only this time, Zane would be staying here, and Jo would be leaving, never to return. He couldn't let that happen, he had to make sure she stayed here. Eventually, though, she pulled away, clearing her throat and giving him a tense smile. "I have to go. I'm sorry, Zane."

* * *

"Everyone ready?" They stood waiting for the plane GD had allowed them to use for their flight back to land. Jo stood talking with Ziva in excited Hebrew, eager to be back to work at the Naval Yard. Gibbs surveyed his team, noticing how they all itched tobe back in D.C. He also felt ready to go home.

"Jo?" She and Ziva turned when Carter laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Carter." The sheriff took a deep breath.

"You're just... gonna leave without saying goodbye?" He asked; the others all noticed as the plane began to land. Once it touched down, their bags were loaded and the others waited for Jo to say her goodbyes. She glanced back at Ziva, before turning to Carter.

"I don't... do goodbyes, Carter. You know that."

"You don't have to go-" She shook her head.

"I already heard this from Zane. I don't need to hear it from you. I have to go back. NCIS is my home, these people-" She gestured to the team. "This team isn't just my team, they're my_ mischpacha_. My family. I can't just up and leave them. I belong with them."

"Jo-" But she reached up, laying a hand against his lips.

"I know. I'm a part of your family, but... but I don't belong here. I never did. I'm sorry." She let Carter wrap her in a hug, and after a moment, she pressed a kiss to his cheek and pulled away, following Ziva and Gibbs onto the plane.

* * *

"It doesn't feel right without her here." Grace reached over, laying a hand on Carter's arm. "For a few fleeting days, it seemed like the town was in balance again, and now... now she's gone." The Eurekians sat in Cafe Diem, reflecting on the last few hours- they'd watched the plane take the NCIS team back to D.C.; watched as Jo boarded and then flew out of their lives forever. Again.

Without a word, Zane got up from the table, fleeing into the night. Carter rose to chase after him, but Allison lay a hand on his, stopping him. "Let him go, Jack. Let him go."


	15. Chapter 15

**Rifiuto: Non Mirena**

_Four Days Later..._

Tony looked up to see the elevator doors open and Jo and Ziva step out, trays of coffee and pastries in their hands, packs slung over their shoulders. They chatted happily in a mixture of Hebrew, Spanish and English, using the languages interchangably without missing a beat. He glanced at McGee, who sat at his desk, going over something, and the other man looked up as Ziva set a cup of coffee onto his desk along with a pastry. Jo dumped her pack behind her desk, before going over and setting a cup of coffee on Tony's desk. He gave her a big smile, noticing the black and white striped top she wore as it hugged her curves.

"You look nice, Jo." He said, taking a sip of his coffee. Jo grinned with a flirtatious,

_"Gracias." _

Once they were all seated and going about their morning routines, the familiar, family-esque banter quickly filled the bullpen as Tony tossed a wad of paper at Jo, who reciprocated. So caught up in their chatter and antics, none of them noticed Gibbs enter, with someone from the elevator. "And this-"

Instantly, the four field agents put on professional airs, acting as though they hadn't been childish and had been working the entire time. They glanced towards Gibbs, but ultimately, kept their heads down; eventually, Ziva slid over to Jo's desk and the two worked on their case together, conversing softly in Hebrew and English, while the boys worked on their own tasks.

"Your desk is there, directly across from Lupo's. You're still on Probation, so one of the other agents will have to be with you at all times." It was now that Gibbs cleared his throat, and the other four looked up at him. "We've got a new member of the team joining us today."

_"Another?"_ Tony whined. "Wasn't gaining Lupo enough for you, Gibbs? _Why_ do we have to have _another one_?" Gibbs turned to the girls.

"Jo, slap him." She sprang to her feet, bouncing over to Tony's desk and slapping him hard on the back of the head. Ziva spoke up, calmer than Tony had been.

"But why are we gaining a new member? Is there a reason behind adding a new member to the team?" Gibbs turned to her.

"There is a reason, Ziver. I only have the best on my team, and he is one of the best." And after a moment, he stepped aside. "Tony, McGee, Ziva, Jo, meet-"

_"Zane?"_ Jo's eyes widened as she met her former lover's gaze. He gave her a soft smile. "What are you doing here?" He shrugged, hands in his pockets.

"Well, I figured I needed a change. Handed in my resignation, and caught the first flight here- after talking to Agent Gibbs and Director Vance, of course." He said, nodding to Gibbs.

"This... didn't have anything to do with me, did it?" She asked, afraid to hear the truth. Zane puffed out his cheeks, rocking back on his heels.

"A little, but... mainly, I was starting to realize that... Eureka just... it wasn't doing anything for me, not anymore. And with the government shutting it down-"

"They shut it down?" She asked, surprise filling her brown eyes. Ziva laid a hand on her shoulder. Zane nodded.

"Yeah. Not long after you left, they brought the military in to shut it down. Last I heard from Carter, they were trying to figure out where everyone was going to go. So, since the town was shutting down, I figured, what better way to leave than apply for a position with NCIS?" He cocked his head, seeing the emotions pass over Jo's small features. "What are you thinking about, Jojo?" She shook her head.

"Nothing." A moment passed, before she held out her hand. "Welcome to the team, Probie." He chuckled, rolling his eyes as he reached out, and shook her hand, before pulling her into his arms. He brushed his lips softly against hers, pulling away to whisper,

"I love you, Jo, and I understand. I fully understand. But I've never stopped loving you." She pulled away, giving him a small smile before returning to her desk. Silence settled over the bullpen before Zane asked, "So... what do we do exactly?"

Jo raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? We wait until we get a case. Sometimes we don't get a case. Then we catch up on paperwork."

"You're kidding?" Jo nodded. Zane set his things on his desk, and went to hers, leaning over it to meet her eyes. "Or, we could go somewhere and catch up-" He pulled away when Gibbs walked past, smacking him lightly on the back of the head.

"Jo, explain Rule Twelve to Donovan." Zane raised an eyebrow as he rubbed where Gibbs had slapped him.

"Rule Twelve?" She chuckled.

"Never date a coworker."

"You mean can't date a coworker." He replied; Jo rolled her eyes.

"Should_ not_ date a coworker." She replied, meeting his gaze. Tony glanced from one to the other, noticing the heated glance they shared. He chuckled gleefully, eyes sparking with excitement.

"Something tells me that Rule Twelve is definately going to be broken here." He cringed as Gibbs' hand came in contact with the back of his head. "Oh come on, Boss, it's completely true!" As everyone settled down at their desks, Ziva asked,

"So, you asked for a job here because the town had closed, or because of Jo?" Zane's bright blue gaze met hers, and he thought a moment, glancing at the woman in question before responding, as though weighing his options. No matter that this was his first day at NCIS- she could still kill him with her thumbs if she wanted to.

"Partially because of Jojo- but mainly because of Eureka closing-"

"Jojo?" Tony's ears perked up, and Jo threw a wad of paper at him.

"Give me a-"

"Box of paperclips and you'll kill him eighteen different ways like Ziva?" McGee asked. Jo smirked at him, but turned back to Tony, wrinkling her nose.

"No. Well, yes, but I was going to say- give me a pencil, and I'll list the twenty-two different ways I can kill you with it. Or, if you want to get creative, I can just use my fingernails." She grinned devilishly, and Tony swallowed.

"Go on." Ziva said, turning back to Zane while her coworkers took to office banter. Zane chuckled.

"I wanted a change of scenery; spending years in a small town, it gets old, and... with everything that happened there- those are memories I don't want to relive. Besides, it's always good to try a change of pace, right?" Ziva gave him a small smile, sitting back in her chair.

"Welcome to-"

"Grab your gear! We've gotta case!" Zane watched as Tony, McGee, Ziva and even Jo all jumped to their feet, grabbing their packs and jackets, and filing out of the bullpen. "Come on, Probie! We gotta case to solve!" Quickly, Zane followed, sliding into the elevator before the doors closed. Standing between Jo and Ziva, the former took his hand, squeezing softly as Ziva whispered,

"Welcome to NCIS."


End file.
